


My Golden Obsession

by megsblackfire



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gabriel's there to make him feel better, Hurt/Comfort, Jack has some major insecurities, M/M, Serial Killer!Gabriel, cop!Jack, other characters will show up, serial killer au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2018-12-12 15:02:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 43,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11739489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megsblackfire/pseuds/megsblackfire
Summary: After four years of no activity, the serial killer known only as The Reaper has reemerged to terrorize Los Angeles. Jack Morrison, new cop from Bloomington, Indiana, has never seen anything like this before. He has no idea what spurred such a brutal resurgence of a monster that the city thought was gone. He's just happy he has Gabriel Reyes, his attractive, doting, and brilliant boyfriend, to help him get through this nightmare.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And we have a new story to fill in my Monday slot! Strap in, kids; it's about to get intense.
> 
> Inspired by Shedarart's serial killer comics. They are an amazing artist and I adore their style. Find them work here: http://shedarart.tumblr.com/post/151903422185/history-untold-police-au-morrison-is-detective-in and here: http://shedarart.tumblr.com/post/151951899505/this-is-my-way-to-say-thank-you-to-daddyjackass

Gabriel looked up from his garden as he heard heavy tires on asphalt next door. He lifted an eyebrow and got to his feet, dusting his gloves off on his pants. He knew there was supposed to be a new cop moving in next door to him, but he didn’t know who or what to expect. Everyone on the block might have been massive gossipers, but they were never accurate about what they were talking about.

Hence why he was still walking around and not rotting in jail. People were so ready to believe anything, be it good or bad, but they were reluctant to see him as anything but the model citizen. Oh, what they would say if they knew the truth.

He leaned on the fence around his backyard and smirked. “Well, you’re early,” he teased at the backside of the man rooting around in the trunk of his car.

“Hmm?” the man straightened up and adjusted his glasses.

Gabriel’s jaw almost fell open in shock. This was a cop. This adorable man with golden blond hair and great big blue eyes was supposed to be a cop? He wasn’t even five-ten and he looked like a baby-faced angel! Who thought it was a good idea to give this man a badge?! Who would take him seriously?!

“I said, you’re early,” Gabriel repeated. “Wasn’t expecting you for another week.”

“Ah, well, the house was ready,” the man laughed as he walked over. “Didn’t see the point sticking around Bloomington if I didn’t have to. Jack Morrison.”

“Gabriel Reyes,” Gabriel smiled as he shook the man’s hand. “Need help moving in?”

“Actually, that would be greatly appreciated!” Jack grinned.

Holy shit, this man was adorable. Gabriel wanted to smoosh his cheeks together and kiss his chubby cheeks. The man had to be in his late thirties; how was he this adorable?! There were children that weren’t this adorable. It was so wrong.

Gabriel did his best not to shake his head in disbelief as he opened the gate into his backyard and stepped into Jack’s driveway. Jack babbled away as they hauled, talking about the differences between Indiana and California, city-life and country-life, and Gabriel quietly hoped he never stopped talking.

He was so happy, so unfazed by life even though he knew it was merciless. His energy bubbled around him, buoying Gabriel up even when he accidentally stubbed his toe on a wall and spent the next five minutes swearing while Jack checked to make sure it wasn’t broken. It was impressive and amazing and Gabriel hoped he stuck around for a little while. Cops moved in and out of the city so fast that it was hard to get attached to them.

“So, um, I sort of have a lot of leftovers,” Jack admitted as he set his cooler on the floor. “I stopped in at this amazing little Armenian grocery store and bought a shitton of food. But, I mean, you did me a massive favor helping me move in and I don’t want you to go hungry.”

Gabriel smiled and patted Jack’s head. “Aw, how could I say no, _chico_?” he teased.

“Asshole,” Jack pouted playfully as he started putting containers on the counter. “I should give you the stuff I don’t like just for that.”

Gabriel laughed as they sat down at the island and started eating. Jack continued talking through supper, smiling every time he reduced Gabriel to snorts of laughter. Each flash of those beautiful teeth made him want to cover Jack’s face in kisses. The intensity of the desire startled him a little bit; when was the last time he’d even felt attraction for another soul?

Gabriel left shortly after five, wondering about the emotions circling in his gut. He brushed them off as he got into a warm shower and cleaned himself up. He trimmed his beard when he got out, half-tempted to dye it to hide the gray that was shooting through. He was almost forty-five, but he felt like he was admitting defeat by letting his beard go gray. He was still in wonderful physical shape; his hair should not be going salt-and-pepper on him.

He shook his head in annoyance as he rubbed his jaw and got changed into his pajama pants. Dying it wouldn’t fool anyone, least of all himself. He dropped onto his couch and started channel surfing, stopping on an interesting little documentary about the L.A serial killer known only as “The Reaper”. He smirked as he watched the film play out, chuckling darkly at all the grisly images that appeared on screen. Such beautiful work he used to make; it was a pity no one had agreed with him at the time.

The human body was a marvellous work of evolution. Few animals could match what a human could do. Amazing endurance, decent enough eyesight, amazing dexterity, and a host of other impressive feats that humans did by instinct. A living body was marvellous to behold, but a dead one could only be worked by a master. Gabriel had shown the world what could be done to a body in the hands of a master, but they had not appreciated it. That was fine; he could still enjoy his work.

The documentary closed with the typical “The Reaper is still at large” message. He turned his television off and stretched, smirking to himself as he headed for his bedroom. Oh, yes, The Reaper was still very much at large and wholly uninterested in continuing his work. The desire to create hadn’t been there since Jesse moved out of L.A to chase after his dragon boyfriend. Little ingrate didn’t even call him that much anymore. It led to a very lonely life now that his baby was all grown up and on his own.

He dreamed of Jack all night. Nothing terrible, but just watching Jack move around his kitchen and smile shyly at him made his arousal spike hard. Jack said his name with the devotion of a priest, wrapping his arms around Gabriel’s neck and leaning against him for support. They kissed and it was like fire burning through him, igniting passions he hadn’t thought still remained within him.

He woke rock hard in the morning. He fisted himself curiously, dragging his hand over his length and running his thumb through the leaking slit. He hadn’t thought the dream so erotic as to make him hard; the most he and his imaginary Jack had done was kiss. He certainly never got this excited when he was married and dreaming of his wife.

He hummed in thought as he headed for the washroom to relieve himself. After a quickie in the shower, he headed downstairs for breakfast. His black housecoat was over his shoulders, but not tied as he checked on his egg situation. He lifted his head as his doorbell rang and walked over to the door to see who was disturbing him so early in the morning.

* * *

 

Jack opened his mouth to greet Gabriel, feeling a little bad for disturbing him so early, but his greeting died on his tongue. He’d noticed how strongly built Gabriel was the day before and the way he could heft the items that Jack struggled with like they weighed nothing. He hadn’t realized just how muscular his neighbour was but now that he had a good look at his chest, holy shit, was he in awe.

Gabriel lifted an eyebrow and Jack realized in horror that he was staring at his neighbour’s pecs. Was he drooling? Oh no, please don’t let him be drooling! You came here for a reason, Jack; spit it out!

“I need food,” he blurted out. “I mean, not yours, I just...uh, I mean.” He tripped over his tongue for an agonizing minute before he covered his face. “Can you tie your housecoat up please?”

Gabriel chuckled and Jack heard the sound of soft fabric moving. He peeked through his fingers and let out a sigh of relief. Gabriel’s amazing body was safely tucked away behind the black housecoat. He rubbed his eyes, unable to meet Gabriel’s gaze. What a great start to the day, Jack; ogling your neighbour’s body.

“I am so sorry,” he apologized.

“I’m quite used to it,” Gabriel chuckled. “Just be happy you aren’t one of those door-to-door preachers; I make sure I’m naked when they show up.”

Jack let out a terrified giggle and slapped his hands over his mouth. He should not want to see what was hiding behind those red and black pajama bottoms! For the love of flying pigs, Jack! You just met the man! At least give yourself a week to see if he was worth having a crush on! Don’t just lust after the first nice man you meet!

“So, um, as I was saying; I need food,” Jack said slowly. “But I don’t know where the grocery stores are around here.”

“So you came to see me in hopes that I would give you directions,” Gabriel chuckled as he leaned on the doorframe. “I got a better idea; why don’t you and I grab breakfast from this cozy little diner I know. Then we can go get you decent food.”

Jack blinked at Gabriel before his jaw fell open. “Did...is this a date?!” he demanded.

Gabriel shrugged and pushed off the doorframe. “I don’t know; is it?” he asked with a playful grin. “Come on in; I’ll be five minutes.”

Jack stepped into the house and glanced around. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it might not have been so many photos of a younger Gabriel with his arms around a widely grinning little boy. Gabriel went upstairs and Jack curiously picked up the closest picture frame.

 _‘Papi and Jesse with his new hat’_ the caption on the back read. Jack turned the picture back over and smiled at the sight. Jesse was grinning from under the brim of a large cowboy hat, his hands pulling the flaps down on either side of his head. Gabriel was hugging him close, pressing his cheek in against Jesse’s as he lifted the camera over their heads.

“Cute kid,” he commented as he heard Gabriel coming back down the stairs.

“My pride and joy,” Gabriel chuckled. “Even if the little shit hasn’t called in a while.”

“He’s grown up?”

“Turned twenty-two in April,” Gabriel smiled as he took the picture from Jack and set it back in its place. “That was the last I’d heard from him. Called me crying that I didn’t need to keep sending him money because he was a big boy and could look after himself. That translates to ‘I’m stressed out right now and I don’t know how to say thank you without feeling like I’m mooching off of you’.”

“Sweet kid,” Jack laughed. “And he hasn’t called since?”

“Busy, most likely; trying to make it as a singer in Nashville, last I heard,” Gabriel shook his head in amusement.

“Country fan, huh?” Jack laughed again.

“I have faith in the dreamer; he’s fine, either way,” Gabriel shrugged as he grabbed his car keys. “Come on; breakfast’s on me.”

“W-wait!” Jack yelped. “You don’t…!”

“I initiated the date, therefore, I pay,” Gabriel chuckled. “Come on, Jack; you’ll be spending enough money as it is stocking your house with food. Let me treat you.”

Jack took a deep breath and pushed a hand through his hair. “Fine,” he huffed. “But don’t you dare make me order the most expensive thing on the menu.”

Gabriel smirked and Jack was certain that he’d died and gone to heaven.


	2. Chapter 2

The diner, ‘Bert’s’, was squashed between two apartment buildings a few blocks over. It was a squat little diner serving pretty ordinary fare. It looked like something out of a vintage magazine, but Gabriel supposed that was part of the appeal. Simple food, a colourful exterior and vintage interior, and great service.

In all honesty, Gabriel hadn’t come here in years. He hadn’t wanted to sit alone in a booth where he and Jesse used to spend their Sunday mornings while everyone else trotted off to church. He figured that the serving staff would have changed since he’d last been here; oh how wrong he was.

“Well, look at what the cat dragged in,” Bert laughed as he spotted him.

The balding man abandoned the waitress he had been speaking with and walked over to Gabriel. They shook hands and Bert gave Gabriel’s arm a smack. It was probably supposed to be condescending, but Gabriel’s arms were too thick for most strikes to get through. It was more annoying than anything else, like a mosquito bite instead of a horsefly.

“Haven’t seen you in years, Gabe! From my most regular customer to a fucking ghost!” Bert laughed.

“Hasn’t felt right to come here without Jesse,” Gabriel shrugged.

“How is the boy? Haven’t heard a peep about him, not even from Mrs. Brown, the gossiping bitch.”

“He’s fine,” Gabriel replied with a tight-lipped smile.

Okay, one; Mrs. Brown was the sweetest woman in the neighbourhood and bent over backwards to help people even though she was pushing seventy. Two, she was one of the most accurate gossipers in the neighbourhood and didn’t just shoot her mouth off about things if she didn’t know what was going on. Three, she was the least bitchy person Gabriel knew. This was why he hated Bert. Stupid, judgemental asshole that couldn’t tell a good person from a bad one if they spat in his face.

“Well, that’s good to know,” Bert laughed. “Who’s your friend?”

“Jack Morrison,” Jack smiled as he stepped forward. “I’m going to be working with the LAPD.”

Bert’s smile vanished immediately. “Ah,” he said, ignoring Jack’s hand. “And you thought moving into this neighbourhood was the best idea?”

Jack blinked and looked at Gabriel in confusion. Gabriel closed his eyes and told himself that punching Bert out would not solve anything. It would be oh so satisfying, but not worth the hassle. Jack was still a cop and he would slap cuffs over his wrists and haul him off to jail.

Memo to self; find those fluffy handcuffs if this date leads to better things. He was sure he could convince Jack to play along.

“I was assigned a house,” Jack said slowly. “I didn’t realize that people were so against cops around here. Gabriel’s been nothing but helpful since I moved in.”

“Don’t let Bert get to you,” one of the waitresses said as she walked over and put her notepad in her apron. “He’s just bitter because the LAPD was never able to catch The Reaper.”

“Don’t you have tables to wait, Amélie?” Bert snapped.

“Don’t you have a diner to run?” Amélie rolled her eyes and flicked her impressive ponytail aside. “Or are you okay with harassing the customers and losing business?”

Bert glared at her before smiling at Gabriel. “Enjoy your meal,” he said before turning around and storming off to the back.

“Jackass,” Amélie growled after him. “If I didn’t need the extra money for school, I wouldn’t still be here.” She shook her head before smiling and showing them to a booth. “I’ll give you a few minutes to look the menu over. What would you like to drink?”

“Coffee, please,” Jack said as he picked the menu up.

“Coffee,” Gabriel agreed.

“Coming right up,” Amélie smiled before she turned and walked away.

Jack shifted in his seat and glanced up. “The Reaper preyed a lot on this community?” he asked softly.

Gabriel nodded. “Lot of people went missing,” he said. “Lot of bodies were never found. Those that were, well, they’ve been immortalized by the media. Can’t do a simple Google search without fifty different angles of one victim showing up. Wish the media hadn’t snapped it up so eagerly and exploited our fear.”

Sure, Gabriel appreciated that others enjoyed his work, but there was something that rankled about seeing the media with the images. They claimed that they were being helpful and trying to spread awareness, but really, all they were doing was using shock value to get their story to as many people as they could. It was disgusting and he was the one responsible for the macabre artwork.

Jack shook his head and rubbed at his eyes. “So blame the guy that hadn’t had anything to do with the investigation, that makes sense,” he huffed.

“Bert’s been a jackass as long as I’ve known him,” Gabriel shrugged as Amélie set their black coffees down in front of them. “Thank you.”

She smiled and set a handful of creamers and sugar packs on the table. She pulled her notepad out and clicked the bottom of her pen.

“Ready to order?” she asked.

“Morning Glory,” Gabriel said as he stirred one sugar pack and one creamer into his coffee. “Eggs over easy, whole grain toast, sausage, and if it’s still Elizabeth on cooking duty, tell her not to burn the fucking hashbrowns.”

“I’ll let her know,” Amélie laughed. “And you, Mr. Morrison?”

“Um, same as him,” Jack said sheepishly.

Amélie paused and looked between the two of them. Gabriel lifted an eyebrow and she let out a soft snort, covering her mouth.

“Gabriel! You are evil,” she snickered. “Oh, Mr. Morrison, you poor soul. Don’t worry, he’s done this to everyone!”

Jack blinked. “Done this?” he asked.

“Charmed them,” Amélie waved a hand and laughed. “It’s amazing what this man can do. Honestly, my family hadn’t been here a day and he had my parents wrapped around his finger!”

Jack looked at him in disbelief and Gabriel shrugged. “Hey, gotta make sure the neighbours were safe for my kid to play with,” he grinned.

Jack shook his head as Amélie left to put their orders in. Jack poured three sugar packs into his coffee and stirred it. He sipped it and let out a soft sigh of contentment. Gabriel chuckled and looked away, smiling as he watched the diner. There were just as many familiar faces as he remembered. They were looking at him curiously, clearly surprised that he had showed up after four years of absence. He gave a polite wave and most people smiled and returned to their meals and conversations.

“So you used to come here regularly?” Jack asked.

“Every Sunday just about,” Gabriel nodded. “Jesse loved the atmosphere.”

“Did you enjoy it?” Jack asked.

“Well enough,” Gabriel shrugged. “I lived through Jesse’s happiness for a long time. Hard to image a time when I actually did anything while he was growing up that was solely for myself.”

Jack made a contemplative noise as he sipped his coffee. Amélie returned with their orders, telling Gabriel that Elizabeth said he could kiss her ass. Gabriel chuckled and thanked her before digging into his meal. Jack glanced at him before he tapped his fork against his lip.

“Okay, I realize this might sound rude but, what’s your heritage?” he asked. “I mean, I know you’re Latino, but I have no experience differentiating between cultures.”

“Mexican,” Gabriel chuckled. “You?”

“Scottish on my Dad’s side and Irish on my mother’s,” Jack smiled.

“Would never have guessed,” Gabriel smirked.

“Yah, us white boys all look alike,” Jack laughed. “Throw in the blond hair and blue eyes and no one even bothers beyond ‘he’s American’.”

“But you’ll ask me,” Gabriel popped a hashbrown in his mouth.

“No, I asked about your heritage,” Jack snorted. “You live in America; you’re American. Not that fucking hard to figure out.”

Gabriel arched an eyebrow and chuckled. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you say ‘fuck’ and you dropped the leg of your couch on your foot,” he said. “Touchy subject.”

Jack poked at his egg yolks until they ruptured and spilled golden liquid all over his toast. “Everyone assumes I’m a bigot because I come from rural Indiana,” he murmured. “Asking questions because I’ve never been exposed to other cultures is seen as me being racist when I’m really just curious. I don’t want to offend anyone.”

“I wasn’t offended,” Gabriel soothed as he reached across the table to squeeze Jack’s left hand. “I don’t care, Jack. Ask whatever question you want. I’ll answer honestly.”

Jack glanced up at him and smiled shyly. “Thanks,” he murmured. They ate in comfortable silence before Jack shifted in his seat. “My family’s been here since the nineteen-forties,” he said. “Came over shortly after World War II. Settled down in Indiana and never really left. You?”

“Third-generation,” Gabriel said. “Mother lost a lot of her culture when her parents moved here, Dad didn’t. He taught her same time he taught my sisters and I.”

“Youngest?” Jack smiled.

“Nah, Alejandra’s a few years younger than me. She’s off in China teaching English. Sombra’s in Dorado, Mexico somewhere being a shithead,” he chuckled.

“You speak so highly of her,” Jack laughed as he cleaned his plate with his last piece of toast.

“If you ever meet Sombra, you’ll understand,” Gabriel smiled. “You finish your coffee; I’ll go pay for the meal.”  

Jack smiled and picked his coffee cup up to sip it slowly. Gabriel wanted to cover his face in kisses at the sight. How could someone be that adorable? It wasn’t fair.

* * *

 

“So, you’re the new cop?” a friendly voice asked.

Jack looked up and smiled at the waitress. “Yes,” he said and held out his hand. “Sergeant Jack Morrison.”

“Oh wow,” the waitress laughed as she shook his hand. “You’re so friendly!”

“Should I not be?” he asked.

“Well, in this neighbourhood, most of the cops aren’t too well-liked,” the waitress tapped her chin. “But I’m sure with that sweet smile of yours, you’ll be fine.”

Jack laughed and tipped his head to the side. “That’s very kind of you to say, miss.”

In all honesty, he didn’t think it was kind at all. He’d spent his whole life being told he was going to go places because of how he looked. His pretty blue eyes and his corn-gold hair made him the talk of the town before he had even started going through puberty. Girls were always after him and then when he finally told them to leave him alone because he didn’t play for their team, the boys came flocking instead.

He hated it. He hated every time something good happened to him because of how he looked. He hated every smile thrown his way because it was so painfully obvious that he was white and American and had been here for generations. He hated every minute someone talked to him like he was supposed to agree with them because he was white. He wanted to be judged and assessed based on his skills and knowledge, not whether or not he had pillow eyes.

The waitress leaned forward on the table and smiled. He noticed that she was pushing her breasts together, creating cleavage that probably would have made a straight man drool. It made him uncomfortable.

“Well, you let Dolly know if you need any help,” the waitress smirked.

Jack smiled and nodded. He caught sight of Gabriel watching them and an unusually cold look had crept into his eyes. He tilted his head to the side and lifted an eyebrow. Gabriel let his eyes drift to Dolly and he narrowed his eyes. Ah. Either someone was jealous that he was speaking with a woman, or Miss Dolly was a bad egg. He wasn’t sure which idea sounded more plausible.

“Oh, hi Gabriel!” Dolly grinned as Gabriel made his way back to the table. “You look amazing!”

“Please don’t kiss me,” Gabriel lifted a hand as she moved to wrap her arms around his neck. “I’m not comfortable with that.”

“Alright, you grump,” Dolly smirked. “He’s been like this forever,” she added as she looked at Jack. “Not sure if it’s devotion to his wife or just a hatred for bodily contact.”

Jack did his best not to bristle at the woman. Okay, she didn’t need to go any say something like that! He hadn’t even known that Gabriel was married! Was she trying to throw a wrench into a budding relationship?

“Maybe,” Gabriel said darkly as he loomed over Dolly, “I just don’t like you.”

Dolly didn’t even flinch. She smiled and shrugged. Jack thought she was out of her mind. Did she not see how close to death she was? Gabriel _clearly_ didn’t like her.

“Do you like anyone, Gabriel Reyes?” she asked.

Gabriel threw his head back and laughed. Dolly giggled with him, folding her hands behind her back like a sweet little child. Jack found Gabriel’s laugh unnerving. There was nothing that suggested he was laughing at something humorous. It sounded dangerous, more like a warning than something to dissipate tension. Dolly patted Gabriel’s cheek affectionately before she winked over her shoulder at Jack.

“See you around, Sergeant,” she said as she gave a salute.

Jack got to his feet when she left and glanced at Gabriel. “She makes me uncomfortable,” he said quietly.

“Let me know if she keeps bothering you,” Gabriel said. There was a dangerous undertone in his voice that set Jack immediately on edge. “Don’t give me that look; you really think someone like her respects a signed piece of paper telling her to keep so many feet away from you?”

“I’ll be fine,” Jack said as he headed for the doors. “Let’s go get some groceries.”

Apparently, “some groceries” meant almost three hundred dollars to Gabriel. Jack had no idea it was even possible to spend that much on food, but he was absolutely stunned by the amount of food Gabriel helped him haul into his house. He could have fed an army for weeks with the food he brought in.

“I don’t know when I’m going to eat all of this,” Jack said as he filled up his cupboards and his fridge. “This is an insane amount of food!”

“You’ll be fine,” Gabriel chuckled. “Besides, who says you have to eat it alone?”

Jack shot him an amused look and shook his head. “Okay, stop inviting yourself out on dates with me,” he teased. “We only just met.”

“And?” Gabriel teased. “Unless you suddenly turn into a psychopath, I don’t think I’m going anywhere.”

Jack laughed and started putting two sandwiches together for lunch. They ate in companionable silence, but Jack could see Gabriel sneaking glances at him when he thought Jack wasn’t looking.

“You really are shameless,” he teased.

“Well, hard not to look at a man like you,” Gabriel laughed. “That golden hair and those baby blues? Makes a man weak in the knees.”

Jack swallowed around a lump in his throat. “You aren’t the first to say that,” he murmured.

“And you’re adorable in your glasses,” Gabriel added. “And that ass is amazing too.”

“Wow, okay, you creep,” Jack burst out laughing.

“What? You’re the one that keeps bending over and giving me a lovely view,” Gabriel smirked. “And tell me, how can a man in his thirties be so fucking adorable?”

Jack felt heat creeping up his face as he lifted his chin. “I’m not adorable! I’m manly as hell!” he said, sticking his nose in the air.

He gasped as Gabriel leaned across the island and pulled him into warm kiss. He groaned, gripping the edge of the island as he returned the kiss. He closed his eyes, enjoying the warm mouth against his, and whined as Gabriel pulled away.

“Now that’s a noise I could get used to hearing,” Gabriel chuckled.

Jack’s eyes fluttered open as Gabriel walked around the island and cupped his cheek. Jack leaned into the hand, reaching up to lace their fingers together. This was almost perfect. Almost.

“Your wife?” he asked softly.

“Dead for almost ten years,” Gabriel sighed. “First known victim of The Reaper.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack winced.

“Don’t be,” Gabriel chuckled and kissed him again. “You didn’t know.”

Jack reached up and wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s neck, smiling into each gentle kiss. It felt good to have Gabriel this close to him. He seemed to fit perfectly into the other man’s arms, his head tucking perfectly under Gabriel’s jaw. Gabriel’s fingers pushed up into his hair on the back of his head, running through it slowly with each kiss.

“Fuck,” Gabriel purred as he ran his nose over Jack’s cheekbone.

“You’re good at kissing,” Jack laughed softly. “Had lots of partners?”

“Bit of a playboy in my youth,” he shrugged. “I’ve learned a thing or two.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Jack teased as he ran a hand down Gabriel’s chest. “Man like you attracts all sorts of attention.”

Gabriel smiled and kissed him. “I’ve calmed down since my hormone-charged youth,” he chuckled. “When I’m in a relationship, I’m the most devoted partner you will ever meet.”

“Trying to sell yourself to me?” Jack smiled. “You’re doing a good job.”

Gabriel pulled him close and kissed him again. “I’m asking for a chance,” he murmured. “I want to prove that I’m worth your time.”

“I think I can handle that,” Jack ran his nose over Gabriel’s jaw. “Think you can handle having a cop for a boyfriend in this neighbourhood?”

“It’ll get you brownie points with the local housewives,” Gabriel teased as he nipped playfully at Jack’s lip. “I’m very well liked.”

“How sweet of you,” Jack teased as he tucked his head into Gabriel’s chest. “You deserve supper for that.”

Gabriel chuckled as he ran his hand up and down Jack’s back. Jack groaned softly at the feeling, loving it down to his bones. He never wanted this to end. He wanted to be wrapped up in Gabriel’s arms forever. It was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow burn? What is that? Not in this story at least XD


	3. Chapter 3

“You look delicious,” Gabriel smiled as Jack fit his utility belt around his hips.

“I’m in uniform, Gabe,” Jack smirked before he patted his sidearm. “And armed.”

“Who says I’m not into gunplay?” Gabriel grinned devilishly.

Jack rolled his eyes before he walked over and gave Gabriel a kiss. “Lock the door behind you, please,” he said as he grabbed his keys off of the counter. “Should be home around four. Try not to miss me too much, okay?”

Gabriel touched his chest and pouted. “Oh, how could I do anything but miss you, _mi amor_?” he asked.

“Could go to work,” Jack laughed. “Don’t they miss you?”

“They do,” Gabriel chuckled as he trailed a hand down Jack’s face. “I suppose I should see if I can finish that commission. I could make that niece of yours something nice for her birthday.”

“Hana would love that,” Jack laughed. “Something to do with bunnies, if you can manage.”

“Next to teddy bears, bunnies are the most popular,” Gabriel smiled before kissing Jack. “You have a good day, _mi luna_.”

Jack gave his boyfriend one more kiss, savouring the taste of his mouth, before he left out the front door.

***

Jack did his best not to groan as he spotted Dolly walking down the sidewalk towards him. He locked the door to his cruiser, telling himself that he wasn’t going to kill her no matter how annoying she was. Backing the cruiser over her would not solve anything, nor would driving back and forth over her corpse. He took a deep breath and turned around to confront the woman.

“Hello, Dolly,” he greeted as she stopped at the end of his driveway.

“Well, don’t you look good in blue,” she licked her lips.

Jack forced a smile to his face. Everyone said that to him today and he wanted to scream. Did anyone see anything other than a fucktoy when they saw him? Was anyone ever going to see him as a person and not someone’s walking wet dream? Because he was getting sick of this.

“It looks good on anyone,” he said before he turned towards his house. “Excuse me; I want to get changed.”

“I could help with that,” she offered.

“I’m not interested,” he snapped. “Please, I’ve had a long day. I do not wish to banter.”

“Oh, come on, Jack,” Dolly started to say before Gabriel’s car pulled into his driveway.

“You aren’t bothering him, are you, Dolly?” Gabriel called as he stepped out of his car.

“Oh, perish the thought,” Dolly laughed.

Jack used the distraction to retreat into his house. He texted Gabriel and asked for an hour to himself to unwind. Gabriel promised him that he would get the hour and the rest of the night if he wanted it. There was leftover soup in the fridge if he wanted it. Jack smiled and told Gabriel that he’d keep him updated on what he was willing to deal with after he’d gotten changed and taken a shower.

Jack shook his head as he stood under the hot spray of the shower. He blew water out of his mouth, enjoying the gentle caress of the spray against his chest and shoulders. It felt good to be clean; he hadn’t done much other than run the roads, but he still wasn’t used to the L.A heat and had sweated like a pig. The layer of salt on his flesh was unpleasant and he wanted it off.

He scrubbed himself clean, whistling softly as he worked. He washed off, checked himself over one last time to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, and turned the shower off. He was feeling much better as he got changed into his off-work clothing, humming a little.

‘You can come over now,’ he texted to Gabriel.

‘Ten minutes,’ Gabriel texted back.

Almost exactly ten minutes later, Gabriel walked in with a plate of something that smelt delicious and like chocolate. Jack licked his lips as Gabriel set the plate on the table, revealing that the wonderful smell belonged to fresh chocolate chip cookies. Gabriel turned around and smirked at him, shrugging a shoulder.

“I had time to make you something nice,” he said before offering his arms. “Need a hug?”

“Yes,” Jack sighed as he stepped into the awaiting arms. “Dolly ruins whatever semblance of a good mood I have left.”

“She is being unusually annoying,” he agreed. “Are you alright?”

“I am now,” Jack sighed as he snuggled closer. “Mmm, you smell good.”

“Might have sprayed a little extra cologne on before coming over,” Gabriel chuckled and nuzzled his face into the side of Jack’s head. “I know how much you love it.”

“It suits you,” Jack smiled before he pulled away. “So, what’s on the menu tonight, my chef?”

“Cheese-stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon,” Gabriel smirked as he went to get the ingredients. “And a nice helping of fresh vegetables.”

“Sounds amazing,” Jack smiled as he sat down at the island to watch. “Jesse’s favourite?”

“Nah, couldn’t get the brat to eat it,” Gabriel laughed. “Said the texture was all wrong.”

“Think he’d eat it now?” Jack asked.

“Who knows,” Gabriel smiled as he started shredding cheese. “Kid might eat like a fucking king now.”

Jack laughed as he watched Gabriel work. His mouth was watering by the time the chicken was put into the oven and the vegetables were frying in the pan. Gabriel smirked before picking up a cookie and slowly feeding it to Jack, crooning softly in Spanish until Jack was squirming and blushing in his seat. Gabriel popped the last bite into his mouth and kissed Jack, running his chocolate-covered tongue across Jack’s.

Jack groaned at the taste and eagerly returned the kiss. He let Gabriel lift him up onto the island, those big hands settling on his hips. Jack tilted his head slowly to the side before he nervously licked his lips.

“Gabe, what do you see when you look at me?” he asked softly.

“Hmm?” Gabriel blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Do I…do I just look like a blond bimbo?” he looked down at his lap.

“What?” Gabriel demanded before he tipped Jack’s jaw up. “What do you mean?”

Jack swallowed and closed his eyes. “All my life, all anyone’s ever talked about was how handsome I was,” he whispered. “How beautiful my hair was or how pretty my eyes were. They told me that my looks would get me places. I was treated like a toy, a pretty thing to put on a shelf, rather than a person. Everyone talked like that about me. They still do.” He let out a weak noise and opened his eyes as tears spilled down his cheeks. “What do you see?”

Gabriel’s eyebrows drew close together before he gently cupped Jack’s face. “You are beautiful,” he said. “But you are so much more than a pretty face, Jack. You’re smart and funny and so kind-hearted.” He kissed Jack gently and wiped away the tears. “I could listen to you talk for hours and never say a word. I look at you and see a wonderful life, perhaps not easy, but worthwhile and beautiful, just like you.”

Jack let out a soft sob and held his arms out. Gabriel hugged Jack close, kissing over his cheeks and soothing his tears away. They kissed wetly, Jack’s tears still falling even as he calmed down. Gabriel pulled away to check on their supper, letting Jack regain his composure. Jack swallowed and pushed himself off the island.

He walked around it, pausing to watch Gabriel for a moment. What did he see when he looked at Gabriel? He was so worried about being seen as a person, but did he do the same to Gabriel? He took in the handsome man with his strong, muscular figure and smiled. No, he knew Gabriel was more than just an amazingly handsome man; he was smart, devoted, loving, and so witty that it hurt sometimes. This was a man that had suffered as much as others, but came out stronger for it.

He stepped forward as Gabriel closed the oven door and gently kissed over Gabriel’s shoulders. Gabriel exhaled softly and reached back to cup his cheek. His dark brown eyes were soft and loving, no trace of judgement in them.

“Thank you,” Jack murmured. “Thank you so much, Gabriel.”

“Anything for you, Jack,” Gabriel soothed as he turned around to kiss Jack again.

* * *

 

Gabriel flexed his hand carefully. It had been years since he had done this. Could he still pull it off without being caught? If not, it was going to be a very short return of The Reaper and a very long stint behind bars for Gabriel Reyes.

He tapped a finger against the wall of the building he was leaning on, watching the parking lot carefully. He had already scoped out Dolly’s car and determined the quickest way to it. With so few people in the parking lot, they wouldn’t be disturbed. He knew the cameras were lousy and so long as he kept his head down, they wouldn’t notice him.

He spotted Dolly striding across the parking lot in her ludicrously high heels. She swayed a little, drunk and helpless. Worse than normal, anyways. He started walking slowly towards her, timing his steps perfectly with the motion of the cameras.

“Heya,” Dolly greeted dumbly when she spotted him. “What’s a guy like you doin’ out here at this time of night?”

Dumb as ever; she hadn’t changed since she had chased relentlessly after Jesse even though she was almost ten years his senior. She was lucky Jesse decided to chase after his dragon before she had stepped out of line. Perhaps he should have killed her back then and saved Jack the misfortune of catching her eye. Might have saved a lot of men some headaches.

Gabriel smiled and continued forward. Recognition dawned in her eyes and she smiled sweetly. She opened her mouth, stepping forward, and Gabriel stepped willingly into the kiss. He pulled her close, caressing her spine so that she moaned into his mouth. It would mask how hard he punched her in the stomach. He moved aside, holding her hair back as if she were puking as she doubled over.

He helped her into the backseat of her car, taking her keys from her. He patted her cheek, smiling sweetly at her.

“Let me drive you home,” he soothed. “You’re so drunk, _chica_. You’re throwing up.”

Dolly let out a whimper of pain and held her stomach. “Gabe, it hurts,” she whined.

“Ssh, it’s okay,” he soothed as he closed the door and climbed into the driver’s seat.

He drove out of the parking lot, waiting until he was out of the range of the cameras before he slammed on the brakes. Dolly slammed into the back of his seat, shrieking in surprise and pain. She tried to get up, but Gabriel started going again. A few streets later, he slammed the brakes on again. He smirked as her face bounced off the dash, smearing blood across the knobs for her radio. He reached down and pushed her back into the back seat.

She slumped against the floor, completely knocked out as blood dribbled out of her nose. He drove through the city, whistling softly as he headed for the outskirts. He’d already been to his old workshop to see if it was still operational and he was delighted to see that four years of disuse hadn’t dulled any of his equipment past the point of recovery. He pulled up behind the house and hauled her down into the basement. He dropped her onto the old armchair and strapped her into place.

He wiped the blood away from her nose so she didn’t inhale it and smiled. He patted her cheek before going to dump the car a few streets over. He’d walk home, as always, and return in a few nights for her. She could scream all she wanted; the walls were soundproofed so well that an explosion could go off down there and no one would ever know.

The Reaper was thorough. No one would even find the body until he was ready to dump her. The police were going to lose their minds and while he felt bad that Jack would have to deal with this, he knew it was necessary. People like Dolly were a waste of flesh and it was his duty to rid the world of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the Reaper has returned. First victim; the person that was annoying and making his darling sunshine feel uncomfortable. This time around, though, his muse is going to take an idea and run with it.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack swallowed thickly as he stared at what was left of Dolly. He didn’t know what to think as he stared at her corpse. His coworkers were shaking, staring at what The Reaper had done to the poor woman.

Her ribs had been surgically removed from her spine and bent until they were almost lying straight out to either side of her. The skin across her shoulders had been cut and stitched over a set of twisted, fiberglass wings. The wings were drilled into her spine with construction grade screws and the wings supported her weight as she hung from the tree behind her house.

“He’s back,” one of the officers whispers. “Oh God, no, no, no!”

“Keep your head on,” his superior officer snapped. “This could be a copy-cat, same as what happened while The Reaper was still running around. Get her down and get her to the coroner. I want answers.”

Jack moved forward to help get Dolly down. He winced as blood dribbled out of her mouth and down her chest. The state of decay was uncomfortable; she’d been dead for a good while before her body showed up in her own yard.  He was running through a list of things he needed to do as he helped get the body into the body bag when he noticed the note tucked into her mouth.

He carefully removed the note and unfolded it. It was soaked with blood, but he could still read what was written on it.

_‘She pushed too far. This was a long time coming. She was no angel in life, but in death, she will be._

_The Reaper has swallowed another soul.’_

Jack rubbed at his face before placing the note carefully in an evidence bag. The body was loaded up into the back of an ambulance and he showed the note to his superior officer. The man swore angrily before ordering the entire road sectioned off in search of anything that could lead them to the killer.

It was a long day with very little payoff. The dogs that were brought in found nothing. There was almost nothing to be found on the crime scene and what could be found was useless. Jack had never felt such a soul-crushing sense of loss in his entire life. The monster that had stalked the city for six years was back and its first victim was a woman Jack knew.

He didn’t like the woman, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see her dead. She was annoying and unrelenting, but she didn’t deserve to be turned into that macabre thing hanging from her own tree. No one deserved that. What sort of monster was The Reaper to do this to a person?

When he was finally allowed to go home, he felt drained. He stumbled into his house, wiping at his eyes, and fell into Gabriel’s arms. He pushed his head into the warm chest, whimpering softly as Gabriel nuzzled him.

“The whole neighbourhood’s in an uproar,” Gabriel murmured. “The Reaper’s back?”

“Gossip spreads fast,” Jack whispered.

“It always does around here,” Gabriel grimaced against his cheek. “Are you alright?”

“No,” Jack shook his head. “I…think you can carry me up the stairs?”

“I can certainly try, tiny,” Gabriel teased as he gently scooped Jack up.

Jack tucked his face into Gabriel’s shoulder. He was crying before Gabriel even reached the stairs. Gabriel cradled him close as he climbed the stairs, kissing along his jaw. He helped him out of his uniform, rubbing over his shoulders as Jack stood there shaking and sobbing. He grabbed the fluffiest thing he could find in Jack’s closet and pulled it over Jack’s head.

“Ssh,” Gabriel soothed as he kissed Jack’s forehead. “Ssh, darling. I know.”

“Do you?” Jack demanded.

“Jack, I was here through the heyday of The Reaper,” Gabriel said. “I know what this sort of fear is like.”

Jack closed his eyes and rested against Gabriel’s chest. “I’ve never felt this hopeless before,” he whispered. “What I saw…Gabriel, I don’t want there to be others.”

Gabriel ran his thumb over Jack’s cheek. “Ssh, _mi luna_ ,” he soothed. “They’ll catch him this time. He’s chosen a poor time to return.”

Jack laughed and turned into Gabriel’s hand. “Since when are you the ray of sunshine?” he teased. “I wish I could have your optimism, Gabriel. This man has killed so many people.”

“Then let’s hope that he will grow bored,” Gabriel said as he hugged Jack close. “And goes back into hiding.”

Jack laughed and pushed up into Gabriel’s jaw. He wanted to be optimistic like Gabriel, but he couldn’t quite find it in him to think that The Reaper would just go away. A man like that would keep killing until he ran out of playthings or was finally caught. He hoped he and his colleagues could catch him before anyone else was harmed.

* * *

 

Gabriel held Jack close on the couch. The bubble of delight he’d felt when he’d put Dolly on display in her own backyard had vanished when Jack burst into tears. He hadn’t thought that the new guy would be dragged out to investigate. He thought Jack would just get the paperwork portion of everything. He was stupid to be so naïve and now his attempt to keep Jack safe only ended up hurting him.

He wasn’t a child like Jesse had been. Jack was a cop; he’d be involved with the deaths. It was so short-sighted of him not to realize that. His poor Jack.

“ _Mi luna_ , how are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better,” Jack murmured. “Can’t get that image out of my head though. It’s so different than what the documentaries showed. I don’t know what made the shift.”

Jack. Jack had become his muse. He was such an angel and Dolly had tried to taint that. So he made her an angel in death to mock her with the wings she could never take from Jack.

“We may never know,” Gabriel shook his head. “You should rest, Jack. It’s been a long day.”

Jack’s hand curled in Gabriel’s shirt and he whimpered. “Please stay,” he whispered.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Gabriel promised as he ran his fingers through Jack’s hair. “Just rest, _mi amor_.”

Jack smiled and snuggled closer. “I love when you speak Spanish,” he murmured.

Gabriel chuckled and started gently crooning sweet nothings into Jack’s ear. His boyfriend smiled and curled closer, nuzzling his face into Gabriel’s stomach. Gabriel smiled at the easy affection and ran his fingers through Jack’s golden hair. His beautiful angel, his sweet, caring, easily hurt angel. He’d protect him from the world, even if he had to kill others to achieve that.

* * *

 

A whole month passed with no further incidents or sightings of The Reaper. Dolly’s corpse was autopsied and found to have died from dehydration. It was a favoured method of killing for The Reaper, it turned out; kept his hands clean in the end as he never laid a finger on them. The wings were removed from Dolly’s spine and her body was cremated and returned to her next of kin.

Jack didn’t attend the funeral, but Gabriel went. “Seems wrong not to when I’ve known her for so long,” he had grumbled as he fixed his tie. “Center of attention even when she’s about to be put six feet under. Typical.”

Jack blinked as Gabriel’s cellphone went off. He picked it up, saw the name ‘ _M’ijo_ ’ on the screen, and answered curiously.

“Hello?” he asked.

“Uh?” a very confused voice asked in return. “Sorry, did I call the wrong number?”

“Who were you looking for?” Jack asked.

“Gabriel Reyes.”

“No, you called the right number; he’s just not here at the moment.”

“So you answered his cellphone?” the voice asked. “Dude, that’s a little creepy.”

“Well, not really,” Jack shrugged. “I can get him to call you back if you want. He’s at a funeral.”

“What?” the voice demanded. “Whose? Oh, please tell me Mrs. Brown didn’t kick the bucket.”

“No, no,” Jack said. “Dolly Picket.”

There was silence. “What? How?!” the voice demanded angrily.

“She was…murdered,” Jack said carefully.

“Who the fuck would murder that dumbass?” the voice demanded. “She isn’t worth the effort!”

“The Reaper,” Jack said.

Silence rang through the phoneline. “Don’t bother telling Gabe I called,” the voice said. “Fuck, I wish I had called sooner.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I just…fuck. Fuck, I fucked up so fucking bad,” they said before hanging up.

Jack frowned before scribbling down that M’ijo called. He returned to the couch, snuggling under the thick blankets as he watched reruns of some old cartoons. Gabriel returned around four looking utterly miserable. Jack bit his lip as he sat up.

“Hey,” he murmured.

“I hate funerals,” Gabriel growled as he yanked his tie off and threw it on the counter. “Any calls?”

“Um, one from M’ijo,” he said.

“Who?” Gabriel looked at him in confusion.

“The name on the phone said ‘M’ijo’,” Jack rubbed his head.

Gabriel stared at him before he lunged for his phone. Jack jumped a little as Gabriel fumbled with the phone and pressed it against his ear. He started shouting angrily in Spanish and Jack could hear someone shouting back.

“Listen here you little ingrate!” Gabriel roared, switching to English so fast Jack’s head spun. “I did not spend sixteen years raising your ass for you not to call me more often! What the fucking hell, Jesse?!”

Jack covered his mouth and winced. Ooh. Ooh that wasn’t good. That was his kid he was yelling at.

“I know you’re busy, Jesse! That doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear from you!” Gabriel shouted. “ _Dios mios_ , Jesse, you’re my baby! I worry, okay? You’re half-way across the fucking country!” He balled his fist on the counter and started talking softly in Spanish. “I’m not telling you to come home, _m’ijo_. I know you’re where you want to be. I’m so proud of you, Jesse. I just want to know you’re okay, even if all you do is tell me the stupid shit you ate.” Gabriel rubbed at his eyes and let out a laugh. “ _Sí, m’ijo_. Love you to pieces, you little ingrate.”

Gabriel hung up and rubbed at his face. Jack got nervously to his feet and walked forward. He wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s bicep and hugged it to his chest.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked softly.

“Much better now that I know my little ingrate’s okay,” Gabriel chuckled as he pulled Jack close. “Sorry if that sounded harsh. Jesse and I have talked like that since he was about fifteen.”

Jack shook his head and snuggled close to his boyfriend. “Well, I’m glad your kid’s okay,” he smiled. “Do you want to have leftovers?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Gabriel said as he tipped Jack’s chin up to kiss him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesse needs to call his Papi more often. He worries about you, Jesse :c


	5. Chapter 5

Jack laughed as he helped haul plates out into Gabriel’s backyard. “And this is a regular occurrence?” he asked.

Gabriel shrugged and smiled at him. “I haven’t hosted the barbeque in a while,” he admitted. “Nor attended them in the last year or so. Haven’t much felt like partying with others.”

“So, what’s everyone like?” Jack asked.

“They’re all pretty good,” Gabriel shrugged. “Ana will probably grill you; she’s really protective; but I think you’ll like everyone. And I know they’ll love you, my love.”

Jack sighed as he set up spots at the picnic table. He ran his fingers through his hair, his nerves running a little close to the surface. He’d been fine with Gabriel’s party up until the afternoon arrived when the barbeque was supposed to happen. Now he was starting to get nervous and scared.

“Hey,” Gabriel soothed as he pulled Jack into a hug and kissed his neck. “Hey, it’s going to be okay, you’ll see. Everyone’s going to love you.”

Jack smiled up at Gabriel and kissed his cheek. “Don’t know too many people that don’t like me,” he teased. “Need anything else hauled out?”

“No, this should be good,” Gabriel nodded. “Go sit in the shade, snowman; don’t want you getting heatstroke.”

“Fuck you,” Jack shoved Gabriel playfully and laughed as he was pulled into a rough kiss.

He groaned in approval as Gabriel ravished his mouth, those big hands rolling down his back to hold his hips. His thumbs pressed into the soft flesh where leg met hips, gently massaging until Jack bit his lip to hold in his whimper. He could feel himself growing hard and he squirmed, blushing up at Gabriel.

“G-Gabe! We have guests arriving in, like, five minutes!” he gasped.

“I can suck you off that fast,” Gabriel grinned.

Jack blushed more and gave Gabriel a small shove. “Gabi! Wait until later when everyone goes home.”

“You’re no fun,” Gabriel smiled as he trailed his knuckles down Jack’s face. They looked up at a doorbell and Gabriel shook his head. “Always with the doorbell, that man,” he chuckled.

Jack followed Gabriel back into the house and stayed back as Gabriel answered the door. A massive man stood grinning in the doorway and threw his arms out as soon as he saw Gabriel.

“Ah, Gabriel!” the man roared in an incredibly thick German accent. “You are looking as wonderful as ever! But you are starting to go gray! Soon you will be as white haired as I am!”

Gabriel shook his head in amusement. “Get your ass in here, Reinhardt, you’re letting the cold out.”

The massive man ducked into the house and blinked at Jack curiously. “Ah, is this your angel?” he grinned happily.

Jack blushed and looked at Gabriel. “You tell people I’m your angel?” he asked softly.

“Thank you, Reinhardt,” Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I hadn’t even started calling him that. Ruining the surprise, as always.”

“Ah, my apologies,” Reinhardt laughed before he held a massive hand out towards Jack. “Reinhardt Wilhelm! I run a bar over on the other side of town.”

“Jack Morrison,” he smiled as his hand was swallowed by Reinhardt’s and given a gentle but firm shake. “Work with the LAPD.”

“Ah, yes, Gabriel was telling me that when he invited me,” Reinhardt nodded. “Nasty business that’s cropped up. Not a good first impression of the city. I am sorry.”

“It’s nothing I can’t learn to handle,” Jack smiled. “But we really should return to the backyard so Gabriel can get started on supper.”

“I like the way you think!” Reinhardt laughed as he followed Jack outside. “Yes, all this talk does work up an appetite! Gabriel, do you have those delicious hor d'oeuvres you used to make?”

“Not this time, sorry; you’ll have to settle for some store bought stuff,” Gabriel smiled as he grabbed the tray off the table and carried it outside. “And before you ask, yes, that family of ravens is still living in my poplar and yes they will still swoop down if you offer them food.”

Jack chuckled as he took the tray from Gabriel and set it on the picnic table. Reinhardt sat down beside him and eagerly started asking him about himself, not even fazed when Jack said that there wasn’t much to tell.

“Ha! There is always much to tell,” Reinhardt smirked as he popped a cheese ball into his mouth. “It is just what you are comfortable telling. I used to be a soldier! One of the finest in the German forces, but I am retired now and enjoying my life as a bar manager.”

Jack glanced at Gabriel before he shifted. “Served for a few years overseas myself,” he said. “Did a couple of tours in my early twenties and then had a nasty accident. Don’t tell Gabe yet but this eye,” he pointed to his left eye, “I can’t see sweet shit without glasses. Legally blind.”

“And you have not told Gabriel this?” Reinhardt asked in surprise.

“Don’t know how to bring it up,” Jack sighed as he rubbed his neck. “I mean, telling him I served might make him think that there’s a lot of extra baggage that he has to deal with.”

“Is there?” Reinhardt tilted his head.

“A little,” he admitted. “He hasn’t really seen it yet and I’m scared it’s going to come out when I don’t really have a good way to explain it.”

“Jack,” Reinhardt said as he gently took Jack’s hand in between his massive ones. “Gabriel will understand. He is not just a pretty face. I know it can be scary to put your faith in another, but Gabriel already adores you. He will understand.”

“I know,” Jack murmured. “He’s so good to me. Gotta wonder sometimes what I do in return.”

“Gabriel does not accept many people into his life; whatever it is that he enjoys about your company, he will let you know when he is ready. He might be trying to figure it out himself,” Reinhardt reassured him.

“Yah,” Jack chuckled before two women walked into the backyard.

“Ana!” Reinhardt shouted as he got to his feet. “You look as lovely as ever, _maus_!”

The white haired woman shook her head in amusement as she walked over. A young woman trailed behind her, her eyes glancing at Jack nervously. Jack made sure to smile as kindly as he could manage so he didn’t startle her. She smiled back and waved as Reinhardt and Ana kissed each other’s cheeks.

“And you must be Jack,” Ana smiled. “That is quite the hair you have.”

Jack ran his fingers through his hair as he got to his feet. “Ana Amari, right?” he asked as he held his hand out. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Gabriel speaks fondly of you and Fareeha.” He leaned in and glanced at Gabriel as his boyfriend smirked at them. “And he has a healthy note of fear in his voice.”

“Smart man,” Ana smirked before she looked pointedly at Fareeha. “Say hello, dear. It’s rude to be so quiet in the company of friends.”

“It’s alright,” Jack soothed as he turned to Fareeha. “It’s nice to meet you, Fareeha. Gabriel said that you’re hoping to be a fighter pilot, is that correct?”

Fareeha smiled shyly and nodded her head. “Yah,” she said softly. “Gabi says that I would be good at it.”

“Gabriel is good at reading people,” Jack mused. “But come have a seat. I’ll get lemonade.”

He ducked back inside to get the drink, shaking his head at his forgetfulness. He emerged with a large pitcher of sweet lemonade and several plastic cups. Ana gave him an odd look as he started pouring drinks for everyone.

“Hey, Jack, can you get me a plate?” Gabriel called over his shoulder. “Hamburgers are ready.”

“We forgot a plate?” Jack asked in disbelief. “Hang on.”

He darted back towards the house and almost had a heart-attack as a massive man stepped out with a plate in his meaty hand. Reinhardt was tall and well muscles, but this man was massive in a different way. It was a mix of muscle and fat, giving the man a massively round stomach that made him look even bigger than he already was. His silver hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the back of his head and his dark eyes narrowed a little as he looked down at Jack.

“I think you scared him, Roadie,” a gangly man cackled as he leaned on the massive man’s arm.

“Mako, Jamie, nice of you to stop in,” Gabriel called. “Jack, breathe, _cariño_.”

Jack skirted backwards until he felt Gabriel’s chest against his back. Strong arms wrapped around him, sheltering him in heat and safety. Jack took a deep breath and exhaled a little loudly. He did not like being startled, especially not by men that were bigger than him.

“Sorry, you startled me,” he smiled before walking forward to take the plate from Mako. “Mako Rutledge, right?”

“Yah,” the big man grunted. “Sorry about that.”

“Hardly your fault,” Jack laughed before he handed the plate off to Gabriel. “I’m unfortunately a very socially nervous person. Even Gabriel’s managed to startle me without meaning to.”

Gabriel gave him a gentle kiss before going to take the finished items off the barbeque. Jamieson let out a long “aw” and Mako growled softly. They both looked at each other before smiling at Jack.

“You two are adorable,” Jamieson cackled. “Didn’t think ol’ frowny had it in him!”

“Shut up,” Mako huffed as he gently cuffed Jamieson’s frazzled blond head. “Go sit down, you silly man.”

Jamieson laughed before he hobbled forward and dropped down beside Fareeha, hugging her tightly. Mako glanced at Jack and rubbed the back of his head.

“Tech he was working on blew up on him a few years back; hasn’t really been the same since,” he murmured. “I apologize ahead of time if he does something that makes you uncomfortable. It’s really not his fault.”

“I’ll be fine, but thank you for the heads up,” Jack smiled.

Gabriel carried the first round of hamburgers to the table and pulled Jack down onto his lap. He covered Jack’s neck in kisses, making him squeal and laugh until he twisted to return the favour. The rest of the table started laughing at their antics, all except Ana, Jack noticed. Gabriel let him sit down beside Fareeha as everyone shuffled around so they all fit on the picnic bench.

The hamburgers were grilled to perfection and everyone made sure to thank Gabriel as they ate. Gabriel preened a little, but stopped as Jack pressed a kiss to his lips. It earned him a hazy smile and a gentle kiss in return before Gabriel got up to make the next round of hamburgers.

“So you two have been dating for a little over a month?” Ana asked.

“A month and twelve days,” Jack said as he ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s actually probably really creepy that I have it down to days.”

“Nah,” Jamieson laughed. “I think it’s cute! You two are cute! Hey, Roadie, we’re cute too, right?”

Mako pressed a kiss to Jamieson’s forehead and snorted. “Adorable. All because of your gangly ass.”

Jamieson grinned and snuggled against Mako’s arm. Jack asked Fareeha about her plans for school after she graduated and the conversation stayed there until Gabriel returned with the next round of hamburgers.

***

“That’s enough,” Mako growled as he pulled the beer bottle away from Jamieson.

“Oh come on! That’s only my second!” Jamieson whined.

“Third,” Mako corrected.

“Oh,” Jamieson frowned and scratched his head. “Huh. Didn’t remember drinking one. Thanks, Roadie; I’m so happy you have my back and are watching out for me. Do I thank you enough for that? I don’t think I do. I love you, Mako.”

Mako smirked as Jamieson snuggled against him. His huge fingers rolled soothingly over the lanky man’s bony shoulders and Jack couldn’t help but smile. They were such an odd couple but they were absolutely adorable and clearly in love. Mako spoke a little harshly, but Jamieson didn’t look too affected by it. It worried him a little, but Mako apologized if he went a step too far and Jamieson was quick to forgive him.

Gabriel pulled Jack close as he sipped his own beer, his boyfriend talking animatedly with Reinhardt about something. He thought it might have had something to do with his bar, but Jack’s knowledge of liquor was limited to only the most common beverages.

“Jack, do you have a minute?” Ana asked as she stood up. “I want your opinion on something.”

“Sure,” Jack smiled as he set his pineapple cooler down and followed her. “What’s on your mind, Ana?”

Ana turned around when they were in the kitchen and glared at Jack. Jack stiffened in surprise and swallowed under the fierce gaze. Had he done something wrong? He didn’t think he had; Gabriel usually let him know if he crossed some sort of invisible line that his county-bumpkin ass didn’t know about.

“I see right through you,” Ana growled.

“What?” Jack blinked.

“You might be able to fool the rest of them with your sweet and innocent routine, but I know how you pretty boys act,” she sneered and curled her lip. “Gabriel bends over backwards for you; he thinks your some earth-bound angel. I’m not fooled for a second.”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jack said slowly. “I don’t….”

“You’re using Gabriel,” Ana sneered. “Using him as arm candy. You strut around knowing that you have a Latino at your beck and call and it makes you feel powerful.”

“No, that’s not true,” Jack snapped. “Where the hell did you even pull that from, Ana?”

“What do you do for Gabriel, Jack?” Ana growled. “Gabriel does everything for you, is there when you need him to be, but do you do the same? Are you there to chase his demons away?”

Jack opened his mouth, but his words caught in his throat. He felt tears pricking his eyes as he took a hesitant step back. He hadn’t seen Gabriel show even the faintest signs of suffering. He was good at noticing that; he had to be good at noticing it! It was what made him so good at his job.

“He hasn’t,” Jack tried to say.

“You haven’t been paying attention,” Ana snapped. “You pretty boys are all the same. All you care about is what having Gabriel with you will do for you. You don’t care about him.”

“That’s not true!” Jack sobbed. “I just….”

“So many excuses,” Ana snorted. “Do you hear how pathetic you sound? Just leave, Jack. If you cared about Gabriel, you wouldn’t use him.”

Jack covered his mouth and shook his head. She was lying. She was lying and was jealous and…. Except he couldn’t think of a time when he had done half of what Gabriel did for him. Tears burned his eyes before he turned and bolted for the front door.

* * *

 

“Jack?” Gabriel blinked as he caught his love around the waist. “Are you alright?”

Jack nodded his head, but Gabriel could see the tears building behind his eyes. He tried to pull him close, but Jack fought his way free.

“I’ll see you tomorrow! Or maybe the day after that,” Jack hiccupped as he backed away, refusing to meet Gabriel’s eye. “You enjoy your guests, Gabriel. I think I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

He was gone before Gabriel could grab him again. He stared at the door as it closed, his brain trying to figure out what happened. Ana had asked for his opinion on something and then…. Everything snapped into place and he spun around with a snarl of outrage.

“ANA AMARI!” he roared as he stormed into the living room. “I should wring your neck for this!”

Fareeha flinched and hid behind Reinhardt, looking from her mother to Gabriel. Reinhardt shifted to keep her out of sight, his gaze flicking nervously between them. Ana sipped her tea and lifted her eyebrows. Unfazed. Typical. She couldn’t even be bothered to look ashamed of herself.

“That shouting can’t be good for your blood pressure, Gabriel,” she said.

“What did you say to him?” Gabriel snarled. “What did you say?!”

“I simply pointed out the situation to him,” she said. “And refused to let him sugar-coat it.”

“The situation?” Gabriel demanded. “He just left in tears, Amari. What did you say?”

Ana set her tea down and shook her head. “Oh, Gabriel,” she sighed. “He’s playing you.”

Gabriel stared at the woman he had called his friend for most of his life. In that moment, he didn’t think he had ever hated someone as much as he hated her. He inhaled shakily and jabbed a finger at her.

“You keep your nose out of my business, you old hag,” he snarled. “Jack is a fucking saint for putting up with me as well as he does. I’m the biggest jackass to live in this neighbourhood and that man does nothing but love me.”

“Catherine loved you too,” Ana lifted her nose in the air.

“Catherine has been dead for ten years,” Gabriel snarled. “Am I supposed to spend the rest of my life miserable because my wife died?”

“I never remarried,” Ana narrowed her eyes.

“That’s on you, not me,” Gabriel snarled. “You do not get to stick your nose into my life and dictate how I live it. I’m a grown-ass man, Ana. I can make decisions for myself.” He shot Fareeha a look and growled. “Fareeha, your mother has overstayed her welcome. Please drive her home.”

Fareeha nodded before she got to her feet. “Come on, mother,” she said. “Please.”

Ana snorted and got to her feet. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Gabriel,” she said as she breezed past.

Gabriel leaned against the doorframe and massaged his face. Reinhardt murmured that he should head home and Mako carried Jamieson out to their car. Gabriel waited for them to drive away before he went to get his cellphone.

 _‘Jack, please talk to me,’_ he texted, knowing damn well that Jack wouldn’t pick up if he called. _‘Don’t believe what Ana said. She’s done this before. Please, mi luna, I love you.’_

 _‘I don’t mean to use you,’_ Jack texted back twenty minutes later.

 _‘You aren’t,’_ Gabriel soothed. _‘Oh, mi luna, did she make you think you were?’_

_‘She raised some very good points. You comfort me all the time and when have I ever done the same for you?’_

_‘When Jesse called. When I found that dead mother cat in my garden with her still-born kittens. When I damn near cut my finger off trying open a box,’_ Gabriel sent. _‘You comfort me all the time, mi luna. Don’t let that bitch fool you.’_

_‘Isn’t she your friend?’_

_“Some friend she is if she’s making the most important person in my life feel like shit when she doesn’t have a clue what we do for each other. Look, I know you want some time to yourself. I get that. I’ll come over first thing in the morning and make you breakfast.’_

_‘Thank you, Gabi. I do need some time to myself. I love you.’_

_‘I love you too, mi luna. You get a good night’s sleep, okay?’_

Jack sent a sleepy emoticon back and Gabriel smiled. He set his phone on the table and frowned as someone knocked on the door. He squared his shoulders and walked to the door, opening it slowly. If that was Ana come to bother him for a round two, he was going to be pissed.

He stared at the man standing on his front step. His hands were stuffed into the front pockets of his jeans and his shoulders were bunched up around his ears. His brown hair was in desperate need of a haircut; it was too stringy to be healthy and needed to be trimmed back; and he was shyly looking up from under the brim of his Stetson. The man behind him looked just as uneasy, his long black hair pulled back into a strict ponytail and his blue shirt straining a little to contain him; someone had put muscle on unexpectedly and hadn’t had time to get new clothing.

“Howdy, Papi,” Jesse murmured. “Long time no see, eh?”

Gabriel grabbed Jesse by the front of his flannel shirt and pulled him into a tight hug. Jesse yelped in surprise before his arms tightened around Gabriel’s chest and he buried his face into Gabriel’s shirt. Gabriel threw Jesse’s hat into the house and it bounced and rolled across the floor until it bumped into the fridge. He buried his fingers in his son’s hair, carding through it as a soft sob racked through him.

“Missed you too,” Jesse whispered. “Don’t kill my fiancée, please?”

“Your what?” Gabriel snarled as he lifted his head to glare at the dragon.

Hanzo lifted his chin, but Gabriel could see the fear in his eyes. Oh, he remembered this arrogant little shit. He remembered how he made Jesse chase him through high school and then out to Nashville. He let out a low growl before he made a beckoning motion with his finger.

“Come here, you arrogant little shit,” he growled.

Jesse let out a weak laugh as Hanzo Shimada tentatively took a step closer. Gabriel grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him into the hug, kissing his soon-to-be son-in-law’s temple. Hanzo was stiff against his chest, clearly not expecting this reaction.

“You two little shits are going to be the death of me,” he growled before he pulled them inside. He closed the door and dragged them over to the couch. “Beer?”

“Please,” Jesse grinned at him. “You have wine, right? Hanzo likes plum wine, but he’ll take red just fine.”

“Jesse, you do not need to order for me like we are in a restaurant,” Hanzo huffed as he took a seat.

“Not orderin’,” Jesse smiled as he dropped down beside his fiancée and nuzzled him. “Just letting Papi know what you want. I know you don’t like beer.”

“And you picked up the local accent, wonderful,” Gabriel teased as he went to get the wine out of the cupboard.

“The ladies love it,” Jesse called after him.

“Hanzo, you’re closer; hit him,” Gabriel called as he grabbed a wine glass.

The soft slap and Jesse’s insulted yelp made him smile. It was good to have his baby back home. He couldn’t wait to introduce him to Jack. They were going to love each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why, yes, I do love me some RoadRat, how did you know?
> 
> Ana might seem a little out of character, but I do see her as the sort of friend that would try to chase off anyone she thought was hurting a friend of hers, even if her friend didn't agree. I just played it up for the story.
> 
> And yay, Jesse's finally here! With his fiancee~ >3


	6. Chapter 6

Jack smiled as Jesse excitedly told Gabriel about his music career. He was just doing small gigs at the local bars, but he was loving it. Hanzo’s job supported both of them easily and he encouraged Jesse to follow his dreams, whatever they were. They were an adorable couple and Jack could tell that Gabriel approved of Jesse’s fiancée.

From what Jack could glean from Gabriel’s teasing, Hanzo had been a real shithead of a teenager. Jesse had had a crush on him for years and Hanzo had led him around by the nose. Hanzo had left for the Midwest, wanting to put some distance between himself and his family legacy, and Jesse had followed. After a little fight and a lot of time to think, they started dating. And, from the looks of things, never looked back. It was touching and beautiful and Jack couldn’t think of a happier couple.

“So, when’s the wedding?” Jack teased.

“We’re still figurin’ out a date,” Jesse smiled as he kissed Hanzo’s cheek. “But we’re thinking a winter wedding.”

“Sounds enchanting,” Jack teased as Gabriel got to his feet. He watched his boyfriend walk away to get something and leaned forward. “You coming to visit really made his month,” he said.

“I kept meaning to,” Jesse sighed. “But, I mean, I sort of took off without warning and…yah, I was a very, very dumb kid.”

“Are you talking about me?” Gabriel smirked as he sat back down with a bowl of popcorn. “That’s not nice, _mi amor_.”

“Nothing bad, darling,” Jack smiled as he snuggled against Gabriel’s chest. “Scout’s honour.”

Gabriel’s thumb brushed gently over his cheek and Jack rested against the wide shoulder. His cellphone went off and he winced at the shrill ringtone. Gabriel frowned and went to reach for it, but Jack snatched it up and swiped the notification away.

“Jack, who the hell is that?” Gabriel asked. “They’ve texted you six times in the last hour. That ringtone really sets me on edge.”

“It’s nothing,” Jack lied as he set his phone back down. “Don’t worry about it.”

Gabriel frowned, but he didn’t push him. If he knew that Ana was bothering him, telling him how he didn’t deserve Gabriel’s attention, he would be pissed. Jack didn’t want to come between their friendship, so he just let Ana rail against him. He could ignore most of it. Some of it hit really close, but he chose to keep his mouth shut and not answer. He didn’t need to respond to any of her stupidity, not after Gabriel had reassured him that he wasn’t taking advantage of him.

They talked for another hour before Jack had to go get ready for his shift. Gabriel followed him up to his room and wrapped his arms around his waist as he pulled his shirt off. He nuzzled his face against Jack’s neck, drawing a soft giggle from him.

“Jack, is someone bothering you?” he asked. “You can tell me. You don’t have to be afraid.”

“It’s nothing, Gabe,” Jack smiled up at him. “Honest.”

Gabriel furrowed his eyebrows and kissed him. “Jack, I know you’re lying,” he whispered. “Why won’t you tell me what’s going on?”

“It’s nothing,” Jack repeated as he stood on tiptoe to kiss Gabriel’s lips. “Don’t worry, please. I’m fine.”

Gabriel let out a low growl before he kissed Jack in return. “Alright,” he murmured. “Just…you know I’m here for you, right?”

“I know,” Jack soothed and kissed him again. “I love you, Gabriel. And thank you for worrying for me.”

Gabriel nuzzled him gently and let him get changed into his uniform. Gabriel insisted on clipping his belt into place, smiling as he cinched it tightly around his hips. Their next kiss was heated and needy.

“Always loved a man in uniform,” Gabriel purred into his ear. “There’s just something amazing about a man in a crisp, wonderfully formfitting attire.”

“You just love peeling me out of it,” Jack teased as he nuzzled him. “I’ll see you in the morning. Try to stay out of trouble.”

“When am I ever in trouble?” Gabriel teased as he squeezed Jack’s ass. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jack smiled and pressed himself against Gabriel’s chest.

He inhaled Gabriel’s spicy cologne before pulling himself away. Gabriel squeezed Jack’s hands as he drew away, purring deeply as his eyes lidded with lust. Jack was guaranteed a fun night when he got home if that look was anything to go by. Jesse and Hanzo waved as he left the house, promising to keep Gabriel in line for him. He thanked them, winking playfully at Gabriel as he close the door behind him.

* * *

 

Jack’s phone went off and Gabriel picked it up. “I’ll be a minute,” he called after Hanzo and Jesse as they headed back for his house.

It wasn’t often that Jack left his phone behind, but it was usually when he knew he was going to be doing a lot of paperwork and didn’t want the obvious distraction sitting in arm’s reach. He wasn’t one to snoop, but the fact that this person had been texting Jack and had the most unnerving ringtone had him worried. Was someone harassing Jack and he was taking it without a word of protest?

He glared at the number on the phone; he knew that number. It had started showing up more and more on his phone the last few weeks and he had taken to ignoring it. He swiped over to see what had been texted, wondering why Ana was bothering Jack so much. Fury shot through him and he almost crushed Jack’s phone in his hand as he stared at the list of texts Ana had sent Jack.

 _‘I can’t believe a little shit like you is still trying to play him,’_ she had written. The phone vibrated again before another message popped up. _‘You’re too scared to even talk to me.’_

Anger burned red hot through him before he unlocked Jack’s phone. Jack had given him the password in case he needed something while he was at Jack’s house. He’d never had a reason to invade his privacy until now. He always believed in letting Jack have his secrets; heavens knew he had his own dark secrets. Now, though, he need to set someone straight.

_‘My place. Now.’_

_‘Finally got the balls to talk to me, sweetheart?’_

_‘It’s Gabriel. My house. Now.’_

_‘Oh.’_

Gabriel stuck Jack’s phone in his pocket and stormed over to his house after he made sure to lock Jack’s up. Hanzo and Jesse were leaving for their movie and he managed to force a smile to his face as Hanzo waved. Jesse knew something was up, but he knew that Gabriel liked to figure things out on his own; there was no point in harassing him over something. The kids left and Gabriel prepared for the confrontation with Ana.

“You have no right to be harassing Jack,” he snarled as soon as Ana walked through the front door.

“Gabriel, please, I’m just looking out for you,” Ana sighed.

“I don’t need you to look out for me, Ana,” he snapped. “I’m a grown man! You’re wrong about Jack and I want you to stop harassing him. He’s never done anything to warrant this behaviour.”

“Oh please,” Ana snorted. “I can see right through his innocent act.”

“You saw him for a few hours,” Gabriel rolled his eyes. “You don’t know him, Ana. I do.”

“He’s playing you,” Ana shook her head. “You just wait. Once he’s bored of you, he’ll kick you to the curb.”

“I would like to see that happen,” Gabriel threw his head back and laughed. “You tread dangerous waters, Ana. You’re not only attacking Jack, but you’re insulting me as well.”

Ana let out a long sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. “Gabriel, we have been friends for a very long time,” she said. “Are you really ready to throw that away over this…pretty boy?”

Gabriel shook his head and looked away from her. “Are you listening to yourself?” he asked. “You’re ready to throw our friendship away because you don’t approve of my boyfriend. Really, Ana, I swear you don’t want me to be with anyone.”

“Your wife was murdered!” Ana snapped.

“And?” Gabriel demanded. “I have to be alone for the rest of my life? You weren’t here all the time, Ana. You didn’t see what was going on in our house. Catherine’s death was a fucking blessing.”

“How can you say that about your wife?” she gasped.

“She stopped being my wife a long time ago,” Gabriel growled. “So you can either learn to get along with Jack or you can stop contacting me. There’s no room for anything else. Not anymore.”

Ana narrowed her eyes. “Jack has you wrapped around his finger, Gabriel,” she said. “He will ruin you.”

“No, he won’t,” Gabriel looked away. If anything, it was Gabriel that would ruin Jack. Jack was sunlight and Gabriel was the cloud that would blot out his brilliance and horde it all of himself. “Leave, Ana.”

“You are a fool for loving that man,” Ana snapped. “Don’t come crying to me when he tears you apart. He is useless and worthless and….”

Gabriel grabbed her by the throat and hoisted her into the air. Her eyes widened and she clawed at his wrist. He gave her a rough shake and dropped her back to her feet.

“Don’t you _ever_ insult him in front of me again,” he snapped. “You can have whatever negative opinions that you want, but don’t you dare voice them in front of me.”

“You have lost your mind, Gabriel,’ Ana whispered as she rubbed her throat. “You would never have grabbed me before.”

Gabriel snorted before he pointed at the door. “Get going.”

She left quickly and Gabriel pulled Jack’s phone out of his pocket. He dropped onto his couch and started scrolling through Ana’s texts. The more he read, the more his fury spiked. Ana had been harassing him for weeks, telling him how little he deserved to be with Gabriel. Jack had replied once at the start asking her to leave him alone, but she hadn’t listened. He’d just let her continue insulting him and shouting at him. He set Jack’s phone down on the table and glared at his feet.

Ana would pay for this. Perhaps it was time for her to meet The Reaper personally. Maybe then she would understand just how much Catherine deserved to die and how very alike they were. All his victims from Jesse’s time as his muse were alike; self-righteous, petty, and always that certain something that made his blood boil. Yes, Ana would get to see why he killed Catherine and why the two of them got along so well.

* * *

 

“You look worried,” Hanzo said as they shared a big bowl of spaghetti like the love-sick dorks they were.

Jesse shook his head, twirling the noodles around his fork. He wasn’t sure how to explain it to Hanzo. He’d always been a little worried about his dad, but this was something different. Jack was a sweetheart and he adored the man, but Gabriel’s behaviour was…unsettling.

“Does Papa seem weird to you?” he asked softly.

“He is very focused on Jack,” Hanzo said. “But that is a normal reaction in new couples. Obsession happens quite naturally and then peters off to something much more manageable.”

Jesse licked his lips as he swallowed a mouthful of spaghetti. He wasn’t surprised by Hanzo’s answer; that was the logical response to seeing how his father acted. But it still made his skin prickle with unease. Gabriel didn’t get obsessed with anyone; when Jesse was growing up, Gabriel still made time for himself, even if it was just a glass of wine in the tub.

“It…doesn’t feel natural or safe,” Jesse said. “I’ve never seen him act like that with anyone.”

“Did he date while you were growing up, after your mother passed away?” Hanzo asked.

He reached across the table to hold Jesse’s hand, his eyes asking if he had stepped too far. Jesse smiled and lifted Hanzo’s hand up to kiss over his knuckles. He never felt like Hanzo was pushing too far with his questions. The man might have majored in business, but he had taken more than a few psychology courses, just in case. If there was anyone he trusted with his problems and fears, it was his beautiful dragon.

“A few times, but they weren’t serious,” Jesse said. “I don’t think he wanted to try to bring someone new into my life. He was very protective of me.”

“Does that bother you?” Hanzo asked.

“A little,” Jesse admitted. “I want him to be happy, but I’m afraid that he’s latched onto Jack and is puttin’ unrealistic standards on him. What happens when they have a real fight? Is he still goin’ to look at Jack like he’s wonderful?”

“Did you still see me as wonderful the first time we fought?” Hanzo asked.

“I did,” Jesse smiled. “Sure, I was mad, but when I saw you scrubbin’ at a pot to take your anger out on somethin’ inanimate, I knew that you were just as flawed and human as I was.”

“And then you walked over and buried your face in my hair and apologized,” Hanzo smiled. “And then I did.”

“And we had wonderful make-up sex,” Jesse teased.

Hanzo blushed and looked away, huffing softly as he pushed a strand of hair behind his ear. “How uncouth,” he murmured.

“You love it when I’m a heathen,” Jesse teased. “Makes you feel like the most important man alive for havin’ someone like me snuggle up to you at night.”

“Like taming a wild animal,” Hanzo stuck his tongue out at him. “That bathes only marginally better than a wolf.”

“Hey,” Jesse pouted. “I bathe plenty!”

“And yet you still smell like a wet dog,” Hanzo teased.

Jesse put a hand over his chest and made a broken noise. Hanso smiled at him before leaning forward to lightly kiss his nose. Jesse let out a soft chuckle and settled down. He put another bite into his mouth and chewed slowly.

“If you are worried about Jack, perhaps we should mention something to him?” Hanzo asked. “Just tell him to keep an eye on Gabriel since he is acting a little possessive?”

“We could,” Jesse said. “That would certain put my mind at ease. Thanks, Hanzo, for not dismissin’ my worry.”

“It is legitimate,” Hanzo smiled. “Whether it is justified has yet to be determined. Do not worry, Jesse. I’m here for you.”

Jesse let out a content sigh before he scooted around in the booth to kiss his fiancée’s lips. He was so lucky to have Hanzo in his life. He didn’t know what he’d do without him. Was this how Gabriel felt with Jack or was it something a lot less healthy? He hoped that he was just looking too far into it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yah, we all saw this coming. Sorry Ana.
> 
> And Jesse and Hanzo are adorable dorks and I adore them XD


	7. Chapter 7

Gabriel planned everything out carefully. There was nothing that could happen that he wasn’t prepared for. Jack didn’t even know that Gabriel had read all the messages that Ana sent him and Gabriel’s threat to leave him alone fell on deaf ears. She would pay for this; he was going to make sure of it.

Gabriel waited two weeks before he made his move. He was waiting in the underground parking lot where she worked puffing on a cigarette. He smirked as he watched her step out of the elevator and head for her car. Oh, how he would mourn her passing, but she had this coming. No one went after Jack and said the things she said and got away with it. Jack didn’t deserve that being done to him and Gabriel would make sure it stopped. Permanently.

He kept to the shadows, watching the cameras carefully. One little press of the button of the device in his pocket and he had five minutes to work with. The cameras wouldn’t have anything incriminating on them. It worked loads of times; today would be no different. Sombra, his sister, had created the device to help her pull off her impressive feats of corporate espionage. It hadn’t been hard to copy once he’d seen how the inner workers wound together. When he saw his moment, he walked forward and deactivated the cameras.

Ana looked up and reached for something in her purse. Gabriel darted forward, grabbed the back of her head and smashed it against the side of her car. She let out a wet garbled whine and he slammed her head against the car one more time to make sure she was unconscious. He dumped her into the backseat and drove out of the parking garage. There was a sizeable dent in the side of the car and a bit of blood, but no one would notice or care. That was the benefit of living in a city.

The city was quiet this time of night and he wound his way to the outskirts without a problem. No one gave him a second look and they couldn’t see Ana lying unconscious in the backseat. If they did, they might have thought she was drunk; she certainly looked it with how he’d dropped her. He carried Ana into his workshop and tied her to the chair, making sure that everything was tight so she couldn’t hope to escape. He patted her cheek condescendingly before he went to go ditch the car.

He left the car in neutral, rolled down all the windows, and pushed it into a lake, smirking as it sank below the surface. No one ever searched the lakes around here. He always made sure to dump any vehicle he could in different lakes to make sure that there didn’t seem to be a pattern. Ana’s car would never be found, he was certain of that.

He returned to the workshop and whistled as he got his equipment set up. He heard Ana moan in pain and glanced over his shoulder. She tugged at her restraints and gasped, struggling to get free. That was always the reaction; no originality. Why wasn’t he surprise?

“Comfortable in your throne, Ana?” Gabriel asked as he tapped the metal spike against the workbench. It looked like an ice pick, but it was heftier, meant to hold metal rods in place. It was perfect for what he wanted. “You aren’t the first to sit it and you likely won’t be the last.”

“What is the meaning of this, Gabriel?” Ana growled. “Is this your idea of a sick joke?”

“No,” Gabriel said as he dragged a chair over to sit beside her before he tipped her head back. “But I think you will love the punchline.”

“And what would that be?” Ana demanded.

“I’m The Reaper,” Gabriel smiled as he tapped the spike against her forehead.

Ana’s eyes widened and Gabriel let out a low chuckle. Now that was a look he could get used to seeing. That fear was almost as sweet as wine. He kissed her forehead and gently gripped her jaw.

“Surprised, _amiga_?” he asked. “I’ve played my part very well. No one ever suspected me, not even when Catherine was killed. Amazing, really. But I shouldn’t be surprised; would you suspect the mourning husband when there was nothing to be gained from her death?”

“You killed innocent people,” Ana hissed. “What has gotten into you, Gabriel?”

Gabriel shrugged. “I have a cat’s disposition, what can I say?” he asked before lining the spike up with her right eye. “Do hold still, it makes this much easier.”

She flinched, but she couldn’t escape the spike. He pushed it slowly into her eye, whistling as she screamed. He twisted the spike, catching the barbed sides on the soft tissue, and pulled her eyeball out. Blood and clear fluid poured out of her eye and she shrieked as she thrashed in her restraints.

“Gabriel, you bastard!” she screamed. “Fuck! Fuck!”

Gabriel set the eye on the tray beside him and smirked. “It’s quite the improvement, Ana,” he said. “Just have to clean that socket up so you don’t die of an infection.”

“They’ll find you, Gabriel,” Ana snarled. “Once they find my body….”

Gabriel let out a low chuckle and cupped her chin. “Oh, Ana, what makes you think that they’re going to find it? Did you really think I was going to turn someone like you into a work of art? No, no, you will be one of my victims that will never be found. So unfortunate; I think I could have made you a star with my talents.”

Ana’s remaining eye widened and blood continued seeping out of the ruins of her right eye. Her breathing increased and she thrashed in her restraints. Gabriel let out a low chuckle as he picked up a scalpel and ran the flat of the blade along the pad of her finger. It was time to have some fun.

* * *

 

Jack chewed on his lip. “And you’re sure she didn’t just take the long way home?” he asked.

Fareeha nodded her head. “Mom never takes this long to get home,” she whispered. “It’s been three hours since she called me. She said she was coming straight home. Even taking into account that she might have gotten stopped in the hallway, it shouldn’t have taken her three hours.”

“Okay,” he took a deep breath. “Let’s get you over to the police department. I can’t file the Missing Person report for you, but I’ll be right here, okay?”

“Thank you,” Fareeha rubbed at her eyes. “Thank you so much! I know Mom has been a complete bitch, but she really thinks she’s helping Gabe. She’s just…just so…so…closed minded!”

“It’s okay, Fareeha,” Jack soothed. “Let me get my keys.”

Fareeha waited by the door as he grabbed his car keys, pocketing his phone in case Gabriel called. His late-night strolls were a little annoying, but he could hardly blame the man for being an insomniac. That was out of his abilities to control. He hurried back to Fareeha, ushering her out of the house and to his car just as Gabriel was opening the door to his house.

“Fareeha?” Gabriel called as he paused at the threshold. “Are you okay?”

“Mom hasn’t come home,” she said. “I’m really worried.”

“Ana hasn’t come home?” Gabriel frowned. “Have you gone to the police?”

“We’re on our way there now,” Jack said.

“I’ll tag along,” Gabriel said as he closed the door to his house and hurried over. “I’m sure she’s fine. It’s Ana. No one can take her on and hope to live.”

Fareeha smiled nervously and nodded in agreement. They climbed into Jack’s car and headed for the station. Jack prepared Fareeha for the questions that were going to be asked of her so she wouldn’t be nervous. She answered calmly, but he could tell that she was scared.

“It’s gunna be alright,” he murmured as he pulled into the station’s parking lot.

Fareeha nodded and followed him up to the station. The officer on duty greeted them warmly, but her expression fell as Fareeha started explaining what she wanted.  The officer quickly got the paperwork for Fareeha to fill out and was quick to get everything squared away.

“We’ll start searching immediately,” the officer promised. “Please, just go home and wait for any sign of your mother.”

Jack thanked the officer and showed Fareeha to the door. Gabriel followed, rubbing at Fareeha’s back. They drove her home and stayed the night, hoping that Ana would turn up.

***

“It’s been a week,” Jesse grumbled as he pulled his hat off and ruffled his hair. “I don’t think they’re gunna find her.”

“Jesse,” Jack scolded and turned to glare at him.

“What? I’m just….”

“Not now,” Jack shook his head.

Jesse spread his hands out, doing his best not to look at Fareeha. She was fast asleep against Gabriel’s chest, his shirt soaked with tears. She’d been like that since they’d filed the missing person’s report. The police had been unable to find anything other than a tiny droplet of blood in the underground parking lot of the company she worked for. The amount was so minuscule that they couldn’t definitively say it was caused by foul play. It could just as easily be from a papercut as an assault.

Jack wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t think that Ana would just run off and leave Fareeha to fend for herself. Whatever his feelings towards her, he knew that she was a dedicated mother. She wouldn’t leave without warning, especially without letting Fareeha know what’s going on. It didn’t make any sense.

“How about we not talk about it while she’s here?” Gabriel growled as he held her close.

Jack nodded in agreement and rubbed at his eyes. This was absolutely insane. Why the hell would The Reaper come out of retirement now? What had spurred something like this on? He had no doubts that the madman was involved. It was too similar to Dolly’s disappearance; kidnapped from a parking lot while the cameras weren’t working or looking. It shouldn’t have been possible!

“I’m losing my mind,” Jack whispered as he ran his fingers up into his hair. “Why the fuck is this happening to the people around me?”

“Coincidence,” Jesse soothed. “It’s okay, Jack. Hey, look at me. It’s going to be okay.”

“Jack,” Gabriel said as he gently shifted Fareeha down onto the couch.

“Am I next?” Jack whispered. “That’s how The Reaper worked, right? Took out people around an individual and then took that person?”

“The Reaper won’t touch you,” Gabriel growled as he got to his feet. “Breathe, sunshine.”

“I’m so scared,” Jack whimpered. “Gabe, I’m so scared.”

“I’m here,” Gabriel hugged Jack close and pushed Jack’s head into his shoulder. “Ssh. It’s okay. It’s okay.”

Jack clung to Gabriel’s shirt. He shouldn’t have been freaking out like this. It was Fareeha’s mother that was missing. It was Gabriel’s best friend. Why was he scared? He knew why; he was connected to both missing women. If there was going to be a suspect, it was going to be him.

He knew he was innocent, but if the department wanted to pin it on someone, who better to force the burden onto than the new guy? He was an outsider. The only people that would defend him had no pull in the police force. If they wanted to ease the minds of the citizens, they’d throw him behind bars without a second thought.

“Gabe,” he whispered. “I’m…they’ll.”

“Listen to me,” Gabriel said as he gently held Jack’s face. “Those thoughts you’re having aren’t logical. Whatever is making your heart race, it isn’t real. It’s fake. It’s just a way to get you off-centre. Take a deep breath and just focus on the room, okay?”

Jack nodded and did his best to focus on his breathing and the room. Slowly, his heart rate went back down to normal. Gabriel held him close, kissing over his forehead as he rocked them slowly back and forth. It was going to be okay; so long as Gabriel was there to hold his hand, it was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabe plans things out and tends to forget about the people that will be most affected in the process. Oops.


	8. Chapter 8

Gabriel ran his fingers slowly through Ana’s hair. She had finally died after the infection in her eye became too much. He’d tried to keep it clean, but there was only so much he could do when she refused to remain still while he was working. If she had only stopped thrashing while he peeled the skin off of her hands, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

“It’s too bad about Fareeha,” Gabriel said as he pushed Ana’s stringy hair out of her eyes. “She was so worried about you, Ana. But, I suppose, in the end, it’s for the best. She won’t have you telling her to go for something other than the military. It’s really too bad you weren’t as supportive of her as you could have been. She valued your opinion so much. Oh well.”

He patted her cheek and got to his feet. He whistled as he went to get his supplies, making sure his equipment was as sharp as possible. He carried Ana’s body over to the basin in the far corner of his workshop and set her down. He started cutting her body up, sawing through her bones at the joints to keep from dulling his blade too much.

The blood ran down the drain and out into the underground septic system he had on the property. Unless the police came here and investigated his workshop; which wasn’t registered under his name in the first place; they would never find anything. He rolled Ana’s body parts into a biodegradable garbage bag and tied off the end. He rinsed the basin down, mixing in bleach to destroy as much of the blood residue as he could.

He picked up the bag after the basin was cleaned and carried it outside. He’d spent a good chunk of the evening digging out a suitable grave; no one from the city planning committee would approve of such things since it wasn’t six feet deep, but that was hardly top priority. He dropped the bag into the hole and set his hands over his heart.

“Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to wish Ana Amari the best of luck in Hell,” he said. “We all know that’s where she’s going for being such an infuriating, morally reprehensible woman. She’ll be free for a few short years before I go down there to make her life miserable. Cast your handful of dirt and let’s get this witch buried.”

He cast a handful of dirt into the grave and started shovelling dirt back over Ana’s remains. He should have felt guilty about burying his friend, but all he felt was elation. He was back in top form, ridding the most precious thing in his life of those that would try to harm him. There would be more people in the world that would attack his precious darling and he would make sure that they suffered for their misdeeds.

As he was putting the final shovel-full of dirt onto the hole, he heard the soft click of a camera. He almost stiffened, but managed to keep himself loose. He ran the blade of the shovel over the disturbed earth, smoothing it out. Then, he whipped around and threw the shovel as hard as he could towards the source of the disturbance.

There was a sharp cry of pain as the shovel slammed into whoever it was that was spying on him. He bolted towards the noise, growling low in his throat as he saw the middle-aged, portly man in jogging clothing stumble away from his workshop. He slipped behind the man and grabbed him by the head, wrenching him around to get him to the ground. He started beating the man’s head mercilessly against the ground, grinning widely as he watched bits of flesh and blood cling to the point of contact.

He threw the man’s head down with one final shove and got to his feet. He hoisted the man over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry, hauling him and his camera into the workshop. He dropped the bloody-faced man into the armchair and strapped him in, smirking to himself. How long had it been since he’d actually played with a man in this seat? Most of his victims were always adult women that had thought it appropriate to attempt to seduce a teenager, but a grown man that should have been able to know better than to aggravate a man like him? No, those were rare delicacies.

He lifted the man’s head with a finger and slowly turned it from one side to the other. Not bad features, he would admit. They would be sharper if he wasn’t covered in access fat. What a masterpiece he could make out of him with just a scalpel and a little bit of scraping.

He licked his lips eagerly and backed away. A real masterpiece! Something to shock and awe the world. Bacchus or Dionysus, the god of wine and parties; what better portly fellow to draw inspiration from for this man. He’d have to clean up his face a little bit, get himself some nice materials to make an ornate crown of leaves and grapes. And maybe dye the hair to match his beautiful muse, or did the man deserve to have anything resembling his precious Jack?

The man let out a low moan as he came to. Confused hazel eyes opened and the man shifted in the chair. He looked down at his bound hands, mouth opening and closing slowly before he gasped and started struggling.

“No! No, let me go!” the man sobbed. “I won’t tell anyone, I swear!”

“You’re right, you won’t,” Gabriel agreed as he walked around the man. “You can’t talk when you’re dead.”

“No! Please, I have a wife and kids at home,” the man sobbed and thrashed. “You can’t do this! They’ll be looking for me!”

“Will they?” Gabriel asked as he leaned in and rested his arms across the back of the man’s shoulders. “I don’t see a ring, but I do see a tan line for it. Tell me, does your wife know that you go out jogging at this unusual hour of the night? Or out to this remote area of the city? Or is this a convenient excuse to meet up with some lover? A woman, young and beautiful or, how scandalous, a young man?”

“No, no, it’s not! I swear!” the man sobbed. “Please!”

“Hmm, well, I’m not one to judge. That’s for someone else to decide whether or not you are dutiful to your wife,” Gabriel admitted as he drew away. “But you must admit that it is quite curious for someone your age and size to be out jogging here without the faintest sign of perspiration on his clothing. Not even salt stains. So, really, can you blame me for my assumptions?”

He turned around and leaned on his workbench. “Regardless of who you were before tonight, it won’t matter. I’m going to turn you into a god, my portly friend. Isn’t that a wonderful thing? Who doesn’t want to be a god, right? Women desire you, men fear you and love you in equal measures. Why, you have festivals held in your honour. You have amazing food and treasures sacrificed to you. People remember your name for eons even after worship of you has died out. Can you image?” Gabriel smiled.

“Please, just let me go,” the man whimpered. “Please.”

“You’re pathetic,” Gabriel rolled his eyes as he picked up a scalpel and slowly twisted it in his hand. “I offer you immortality and you cry like a newborn.”

Gabriel shook his head as he walked over and ran the blade over the man’s cheek. “A little nip and tuck, really bring out the chiseled features.”

“Please,” the man tried to pull away.

“I have a better idea,” Gabriel growled. “I’m going to sew that mouth shut so you stop blubbering.”

The man started shaking his head as Gabriel pulled away. He walked over to his workbench and grabbed his sewing equipment. He threaded the needle without a moment’s hesitation. He gave it a few quick tugs before turning around to face his masterpiece. The man started sobbing as Gabriel approached, throwing his head around until Gabriel grabbed him by the jaw. The needle punched through the corner of the man’s lips and he screamed, opening up the new addition until Gabriel flipped the needle around and tied the end off.

He smiled before he started the arduous task of sewing the mouth shut of a man that was screaming for help.

* * *

 

Jack sat at his desk with his hands in his hair. His desk was covered in missing persons reports and his superiors were starting to get scared. They wouldn’t say it out, but Jack knew it was there. This string of kidnappings were too similar, too carefully orchestrated. It was meticulous, so perfect that Jack couldn’t wrap his head around how it was possible that anyone could pull this off.

But it was identical to the Reaper kidnappings and murders that had plagued L.A for years. There didn’t seem to be a connection this time, though. Most of Reaper’s victims had been young women, all relatively attractive women that had some sort of shady history either with drugs, the black market, one or two were helping human traffickers, but they all fit the same profile. There had been a few exceptions and it was believed that they had stumbled across the Reaper while he was disposing of a body and had been silenced.

Now, though, Jack couldn’t find a single connection. Young, old, athletic, skinny, obese, male, female; the Reaper seemed content to take them all. And the bodies that they found, when the Reaper felt like leaving them, were all mutilated with the same surgical care, but the muse, as it were, was different. Reaper used to have a preference for recreating photos from the South; hangings, hunting photos, anything widely available so that people knew what they were looking at. Now, he seemed to be going for a holy vibe; angels and demons, gods and goddesses, and mythical creatures that were once seen as fair were turned into grotesque and macabre creations of stitched flesh and broken bone.

It was unnatural. It was perverse. It made Jack sick to his stomach. But there was nothing he could do except stare at the faces paperclipped to the front of the missing persons report and slowly label each one deceased.

Someone knocked on his door before another officer poked her head in. “Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” Jack sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. “You stuck here too?”

“Yah,” she sighed as she stepped in and closed the door behind her. “Thought I’d come see how you were doing.”

“Poorly,” he said and waved towards a chair. “You, Satya?”

“As well as can be expected,” she sighed as she sat down. “I was here at the tail end of the Reaper’s run. This,” she gestured to the reports, “this is like living a nightmare.”

“Sorry you have to relive that,” he said.

“He got my sister,” Satya added as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“I…I’m so sorry,” he stared at her in horror.

“Don’t be; she was a bitch,” Satya rubbed at her forehead. “She…she was horrible. To me, to our mother; I can’t even say it was just a phase. She was just…mean. Right down to her bones. She’d probably kick a puppy in the face if she was annoyed with it.”

“Oh…wow,” Jack grimaced.

“And yet…she didn’t deserve what happened to her. He…strung her up like a cow being butchered and…. Oh gods, the smell. It still haunts me. And knowing what agony she must have gone through…she didn’t deserve that. No one does. The Reaper…he’s a sick man. A sick, terrible man.”

“We’ll get him,” Jack said sternly. “We’ll get the bastard this time.”

“I hope so,” Satya shook her head and tugged at the end of her braid. “I want justice for my sister. We were never close but….”

“I understand, Satya,” he smiled. “We’ll get her the justice she deserves. If you need anything, let me know, okay? I might not have much experience with serial killers, but I do know how to deal with grief.”

“Thank you, Jack,” she smiled and shook her head. “Sometimes it’s good to get stuff like that off your chest. I just…a lot of the veterans on the force, the ones that lived through that dark time, they don’t want to talk about it. Brings up bad memories. But I…I need to talk about it sometimes. I need to…to validate my emotions.”

“And I completely understand,” he soothed. “My doors always open. Don’t be afraid to stop in if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” she smiled before she stood up and leaned on the desk. “So…all these people have been found?”

Jack nodded and tapped each file. “Bacchus, Artemis, Michael, Sedna; the Reaper spared no expense in making them look like their holy counterparts. I’m…scared of what we’ll see next.”

“At least they still look human,” Satya murmured. “I…thank you, Jack. I…I should leave you to your reports.”

Jack got to his feet and walked around his desk. He gently took Satya by the shoulders and rubbed up and down her arms. She smiled at him, reaching up to brush tears away from her eyes.

“Your feelings are valid, Satya,” he soothed. “There’s no reason to be ashamed of them. I know a lot of people seem to think that telling you to ‘get over it’ is the best way, but it’s not true. There’s scars on your mind that can never fully heal. I know a lot about PTSD. If you ever need someone to talk to, and I mean it, come see me.”

Satya smiled up at him and rubbed at her tears again. “You know, I think you would have made a great dad,” she said. “Better than most.”

“Can’t have kids of my own, so I do my best to be that supportive person in other people’s lives,” Jack smiled. He pulled her slowly forward, letting her pull away if she was uncomfortable. When she was flush against his chest, he hugged her tightly, pulling her sinewy body in close and hiding her behind his arms. “You’re worth so much, Satya. I’m proud of how strong you are.”

“You’re really hoping to make me cry,” she laughed softly. “You’re a great guy, Jack. Please don’t forget that.”

“I’ll try not to,” he said as he let her pull away. “Go hide in your office if you want. I’ll…get back to this nightmare.”

He gestured at the pile of folders and she nodded in understanding. She kissed his cheek before leaving the office, humming softly to herself. He’d figured out that humming helped her relax. He hoped the kid would be alright; the Reaper had torn so many lives apart. It almost didn’t seem real. How could one person cause so much misery?

At least he had Gabriel to keep him sane. The man was working overtime to meet the demands of a populace that wanted to shower their loved ones with gifts to remind them of their love. He was having stuffed bears coming out of his workshop by the truckload and his fingers were covered in pinpricks from where he’d stabbed himself with his needles. He wasn’t as distraught over the missing persons, but he didn’t see the end result like Jack did; he just saw the watered down images that the media covered.

He knew that if Gabriel had to see what Jack did, he’d break down. Anyone would. It was nothing to be ashamed of. He just wished there was someone to talk to other than the other officers. Maybe a psychiatrist that was learned in dealing with PTSD cases.

He rubbed at his eyes before sitting back down. He had work to do.

***

“Hey, I’m home,” Jack called as he walked into his house. “Fuck, is that cookies?”

“Made them just for you,” Gabriel smiled as he lifted his head off the arm of the couch. “Hey…you get more…files?”

“Yah,” Jack sighed as he pulled his belt off and stripped in the middle of the living room. “Can I just…cuddle?”

“Yah, no problem,” Gabriel lifted his arms.

Jack snuggled against Gabriel’s chest and tucked his face into his warm neck. He breathed in his musky scent, smiling as Gabriel’s big arms wrapped around him. He ran his hands under Gabriel’s shirt, lifting the tight-fitting tee until he could snuggle flesh to flesh against his boyfriend. Gabriel kissed him slowly, running his fingers through Jack’s golden hair.

“My poor angel,” he murmured softly. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. Are you in need of anything?”

“Just you,” Jack murmured. “So long as I have you, I’ll be okay.”

“Then I’ll be here when you need me,” Gabriel soothed. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jack smiled against Gabriel’s pulse. “You’re so warm.”

Gabriel kissed his cheek and they settled down comfortably on the couch. He’d worry about eating something later. Right now, he just wanted to feel and smell his boyfriend all around him. His strong boyfriend, his wonderful boyfriend. Where would he be without him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Satya! I love Symmetra so much ^w^
> 
> And Ana gets dumped in a shallow grave because that's all Gabe can be bothered to dig. THERE IS SOMETHING VERY WRONG WITH THIS MAN.


	9. Chapter 9

Gabriel licked his lips as he watched his newest acquisition flail in his bonds. Blond hair, not quite golden, most certainly dyed, and brown eyes. Ugly brown, not even the soft, beautiful brown that he had. They were ugly, hard, and so lacking in empathy that Gabriel wanted them gone. The man threw his shoulders furiously before glaring at Gabriel.

“Take a picture, fuckface; it’ll last longer,” the man snarled.

Gabriel tilted his head to the side before he walked forward. He trailed a finger over the man’s jaw before gently pushing their head against the back of the chair. They were rude. He was nothing like the pretty angel that longed for him at night. Nothing like the beauty that woke him in the morning with a sweet kiss.

But he would have to do. Remove the eyes, wire that mouth into a smile, and he could be mistaken for his angel. Sort of. The hair was wrong, but there was no way to dye hair that same shade of gold. His beautiful gold, so soft and sweet and smelling like pine trees.

He licked his lips again, feeling his loins reacting slowly to the thought of having his angel in his arms. How beautiful Jack would be in his arms even when Gabriel had finished ridding the world of disgusting human beings. The man growled at him, trying to hack up enough saliva to spit at him. Gabriel grabbed his jaw quickly and squeezed, smirking as the man squeaked in surprise.

“I am the only thing standing between you and death,” he said. “I suggest you choose your actions more carefully.”

“What do you want with me, you sick bastard?” the man snarled.

“I’m going to mold you into the perfect image,” Gabriel sighed. “Such perfect cheekbones. And a strong, square jaw. Could you be more perfect for the image I have in mind? If only your eyes were blue.”

“Contacts, asshole,” the man snapped. “Put contacts in.”

“What a waste of my money,” Gabriel grimaced. “Disgusting. No, I’ll just have to remove those brown ones.”

“Uh, no?” the man pulled his head away. “How about no? I like my eyes.”

“I don’t,” Gabriel snorted. “They’re ugly. Cruel. Nothing like the muse I want the world to see. They will have to go.”

“Fuck you!” the man snarled.

Gabriel drew away and lashed out, slapping the man across the face. The man’s head snapped down and Gabriel followed up with a backhand. The man’s head snapped back and blood trickled out of their split lip. A pity. That would mar the perfection of his work. No blood should ever mar Jack’s perfection.

“Oh, is this how you treat your muse?” the man sneered. “I can see you’re quite the catch.”

Gabriel leaned forward and brushed his lips across the man’s cheek. He nuzzled up against the shell of the man’s ear, sighing softly as he felt goosebumps rise along his face. The man was an idiot if he thought that antagonizing him was a good idea.

“You are not my muse,” he said. “You are not my sweet angel. You are an ugly facsimile, one so lacking in his glory that I wonder what possessed me to take you. But, no matter; I will correct your filthy imperfections.”

He pulled away, trailing his fingers down the man’s face before lifting his jaw. He twisted the man’s head from one side to the other before he pulled out a sharpie from his belt and started marking where he would have to make corrections. He glanced at the man, smirked, and kissed his nose.

“Oh, don’t worry, darling; I’m going to make you beautiful,” he said before he pulled out a picture of Jack and showed it to him. “See? Now isn’t that a beautiful man? Don’t you feel honoured to be sculpted like him?”

“You sick, twisted, son of a bitch,” the man growled.

“Now, now; my mother was a wonderful lady,” Gabriel pouted. “I’m the nasty individual. But, that won’t matter soon. Now, sit back and enjoy the procedure.”

***

Gabriel smiled as he walked into Jack’s house. He could still smell supper in the air, a mix of pepper, honey, and garlic. The scent made his stomach growl with want, but he was hungry for a different treat. He removed his shoes at the door and shed his jacket, hanging it up on the coat rack. He headed for the stairs, humming softly as he mounted the steps.

Jack was curled up on his bed, his mouth open just a little bit so that drool trickled down his chin. Gabriel smiled as he walked over, shedding his clothing, and crawled into bed. He snuggled up against his boyfriend, gently kissing over Jack’s shoulders. The smaller man let out a soft groan and shifted, rolling over to wrap his arms around Gabriel’s shoulders.

“Hey,” he murmured. “You smell a little musty.”

“Damp out,” Gabriel smiled as he kissed up Jack’s cheek. “You want to just cuddle or are you up for some fun?”

“Mmm,” Jack smiled as he guided Gabriel’s hand down between his legs. “You tell me.”

Gabriel groaned as his finger slid in without resistance into Jack’s lubed up hole. He licked his lips, gazing down lovingly at Jack. He kissed his boyfriend’s lips before gently sliding a second finger in and starting to work him open. Jack moaned and spread his legs before carefully rolling over and lifting his hips into the air.

Gabriel settled down behind him and nuzzled over Jack’s hip, purring softly as he continued moving his fingers in and out of his boyfriend’s slick hole. Jack trembled under his hand, shifting backwards into his hold. He lifted his head, moaning towards the ceiling as his cock slowly started to lift. Gabriel smiled and reached forward to stroke the length, running his thumb over the slit to smear the precum around.

“You look good like this, my angel,” he said. “I love how pliant I can make you. Think you’re ready for a third?”

“No,” Jack groaned and shifted his hips. “I’m still too tight. Your fingers are so big, Gabi.”

“I am a big man,” Gabriel agreed as he kissed over Jack’s hipbones. “But you are nothing to sneeze at. Look at the muscles on you, my love. So strong, so powerful; I am honoured to be allowed to mount you.”

“I want you to,” Jack whispered. “I’ve never felt as full as when you’re in me. You…you complete me.”

“I want to be more than just that,” Gabriel said as he leaned forward and kissed over his neck and shoulders. “I want to be yours. All yours. Body, mind, and soul. I want to be that smile you wake up to every morning. I want to see you smile when I walk through the doors. I want you in all your imperfections and purities.”

Jack arched up against him, whimpering as Gabriel kept loosening him. When he could work his third finger in without resistance, he slowly pulled his fingers out and grabbed a condom out of the nightstand. Jack whimpered and squirmed on the bed, twisting around to help tear the condom open and roll it down Gabriel’s hard cock. He mouthed over the head, whimpering happily as Gabriel gave a few playful, shallow thrusts.

He climbed into Gabriel’s lap, reaching down to guide the thick cock into himself. Gabriel kissed Jack’s lips, swallowing each moan greedily. It was like liquid fire in his gut as Jack rode him, sinking down until his ass was flush with Gabriel’s hips. He bucked hard as Jack lifted himself up, keeping as much of himself inside that hot ring of muscle as physically possible. He did his best not to pin Jack down and pound him into the bed, but the slower Jack started moving his hips, the more torturous it became.

He didn’t want to hurt Jack. His love woke a beast inside of him when he rode him like this, pulling all of Gabriel’s cock inside of him so that his tight heat gripped him. He wanted to do so much to his love, but he knew he never would do such a thing. He loved him too much to ever hurt him.

“Jack,” he growled.

“Come on,” Jack whispered, his eyes blown a beautiful black. “Come on, Gabriel. I’m not made of glass. Please!”

“Are you sure?” Gabriel growled. “I could seriously hurt you.”

Jack’s fingers sank into his scalp as he pressed in close, grinding his hips down against Gabriel’s hips. “Fuck me like I’m a cheap whore,” he ordered.

Gabriel surged forward and pinned Jack down, thrusting hard into him. Jack screamed and arched his back, digging his nails in hard enough to break the skin. He made a mantra of Gabriel’s name, tears leaking down his face as his legs wrapped around Gabriel’s hips and he tried to meet Gabriel’s thrusts.

“Yes, yes!” Jack sobbed. “Yes! So deep! Gabi, Gabi, I’m so close!”

“Scream for me,” Gabriel growled as he braced his hands on either side of Jack’s head and thrust in as hard and deep as he could. “Scream for me, my beautiful obsession.”

Jack tipped his head back and moaned as Gabriel drove himself in deep and climaxed. Hot semen splattered against his stomach and chest as Jack followed him over, his insides tightening painfully around Gabriel’s length. He thrust slowly and shallowly into Jack’s fluttering hole before he sank down on top of his boyfriend.

They shared sloppy, slow kisses as they came down from their high. Gabriel didn’t like to admit that he wasn’t as frisky as he used to be, but seeing Jack spent and panting beneath him was a sight he never could get enough of. Jack whimpered softly as he pulled himself off of Gabriel’s length, reaching down to gently cup his fingers around his swollen and abused hole.

“Too hard?” Gabriel asked as he reached over to the nightstand to grab the cream for Jack’s poor butt.

“No,” Jack smiled as Gabriel squeezed ointment onto his fingers and started to gently massage the puffy ring of muscle. “It was perfect. I just…I didn’t think I’d be so old in my thirties.”

“Mmm, not old,” Gabriel soothed as he squeezed Jack’s ass playfully. “Just thoroughly fucked by his stud of a boyfriend.”

“Aw, does that make me the dame?” Jack teased as he rolled over and wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s shoulders. “Those gouges; they okay?”

“They sting a little, but they’ll be fine,” Gabriel promised. “I’ll clean them in the morning if they still hurt. A nice, cool shower to wash away all of our mess, too.”

“My mess,” Jack laughed as he reached down to pull Gabriel’s condom off. He tied the end and chucked it in the garbage, nuzzling up against Gabriel’s throat. “I swear you just love smelling like semen.”

“I like smelling like your semen,” Gabriel teased. “A little piece of you to carry around with me everywhere.”

Jack blushed and snuggled against Gabriel’s chest. Gabriel smiled, trailing his fingers through Jack’s golden hair. He was beautiful like this, wrapped up in blankets, spent from making rough love, and snuggled up against Gabriel’s chest. Gabriel slowly kissed down Jack’s shoulder before he pulled his boyfriend close.

***

Gabriel slowly rubbed the foundation across his fingers. The man was stubbornly clinging to life even as his wounds festered. Gabriel was impressed; so few could survive their transformation from mundane to divine. He hummed as he spread the foundation across the man’s cheeks, lightening his complexion so that Jack’s paleness came through better.

“Sick…bitch,” the man managed to hiss out. “You…getting off…to this?”

“Not nearly as much as you think,” Gabriel replied. “Now stop squirming. It’s almost time for your close up.”

The man weakly bared his teeth, but it didn’t amount to much. Gabriel applied the make-up until he had managed to create a decent replica of his beloved angel. He smiled and nodded, leaning back to admire his work.

“There, perfect,” he sighed happily. “Well, almost perfect. There’s still the issue with your eyes.”

He picked up his metal spike and tapped it against the man’s forehead. The man struggled weakly in his bonds, but it wouldn’t help him. It never helped anyone that was shackled to the chair. Gabriel smiled as he pushed the spike into the man’s eye and twisted so that the tines caught all of the jelly and tissue. The man screamed, thrashing his head even as Gabriel pulled the spike out.

He flicked the remains of the eye into a bucket and went to remove the second one. The man twitched sporadically, whimpering as he gave his final attempts at a fight.

“You…won’t…get away…with this,” the man gasped out.

“I already have,” Gabriel smiled and patted the man’s cheek. “You’re going to be beautiful. Everyone will adore you. Thank me later.”

He pushed the spike into the second eye and twisted, whistling as he wrenched the eye out. With a final wheeze, the man succumbed to his injuries, blood and pus oozing out of his eyes. Gabriel smirked at the sight before he got a spoon and started cleaning out the eye sockets. Filthy sockets just wouldn’t do for what he had in mind. Only the most pristine of pedestals could hold the crystals that he had carefully crafted.

People would love this new creation. Even if they tried to write it off as disgusting, they would be enthralled by its beauty, just as he was enthralled with his gorgeous, perfect muse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel's approaches have changed. What will happen now that he's making his victims look like Jack?


	10. Chapter 10

Jack shook as he stared at the body on the coroner’s table. “He…looks like me,” he whispered.

Angela Ziegler nodded as she motioned for him to come closer. “Reaper made a monstrous effort to make this young man look like you. Cut the cheekbones, stitched the flesh tighter together; he even shaved the bone down where necessary. All while the man was alive.”

“You’re kidding,” Jack stared at her in horror.

Angela shook her head and turned the man’s head to the side. “Almost all of his injuries were made while he was alive. The only one I can find that was post-mortem is an incision along his throat. Removed his larynx to make his Adam’s apple less prominent. He was found over by the precinct. No idea how he managed to get in and out without being noticed. It’s getting terrifying as to how silently he can move around.”

Jack ran a hand up into his hair. He wanted to be sick. He wanted to stumble over to the garbage can and throw up into it until his stomach was empty of everything. Then he wanted to throw up his stomach so that he didn’t have to worry about it ever again. He gave his head a violent shake before he waved a hand at the body.

“Why me?” he whispered. “He used to make them look like divinity. Why would he make this guy look like me?”

“It took The Reaper a while to settle on his Western motif before,” Angela shook her head. “He could be going through the motions all over again. Maybe he’ll start making his victims look like other members of the Force just to make them uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable doesn’t even begin to cut it,” Jack shook his head. “Does this poor SOB have a name?”

“Managed to get a DNA match with the database,” Angela nodded. “Markus McGilligan. Got hauled in for tax evasion a few years ago.”

“And now he’s in the morgue,” Jack shook his head. “Fuck.”

Angela nodded. “I’m not quite done with my autopsy,” she said. “I’ll get the full report to you as quickly as I can.”

Jack nodded before he headed back towards his office. His hands were shaking and he wanted to sit down and cry. He didn’t understand why he had been singled out for this horror. There was nothing special about him. Nothing unique that would garner attention. The only reason anyone would come after him would be because he was new. But the Reaper wasn’t one to do that, based on his previous run, anyways. He didn’t single out anyone unless they were victims.

So what had triggered this change? What had made him focus on Jack? Was it really just a coincidence? The Reaper had gone into too much detail with the poor victim’s features to have been a mere coincidence. Just thinking that the killer knew what Jack looked like made him feel sick.

“Hey,” Satya frowned as he passed her in the hallway. “You okay?”

Jack shook his head and motioned for her to follow him into his office. They stepped inside and Jack sank into his office chair, staring at his desk as Satya got herself comfortable.

“The victim looked like me,” he said softly. “Not just because he was blond or something; the Reaper did everything they could to make him look like me. Shaved bone, removed organs, all so that the resemblance was uncanny.”

“Why?” Satya frowned. “That makes no sense.”

“I know,” Jack murmured and leaned forward to rub at his face. “I don’t know….”

“Jack,” Chief Petras shouldered the door open. “We need to talk. Satya.”

“Understood,” Satya said as she got to her feet.

She paused and looked at Jack, nodding her head sharply. She had his back; that was comforting. Jack smiled at her as she left the office, but schooled his features as Petras locked the door.

“Angela informed me of her autopsy,” Petras said. “The victim was made to look like you.” Jack nodded. “How’re you feeling?” Petras asked.

“Shaken,” Jack admitted. There was no point in lying to his boss. “I…I don’t know why I’ve been singled out.”

Petras nodded. “The mayor wants answers, but I don’t have any to give him,” he said. “I told him we’re working around the clock to get any sort of lead, but it’s not helping. Then, we get a victim showing up near the precinct that’s gone under the knife to look like you.”

Jack closed his eyes and swallowed. “Am I a suspect, sir?” he asked softly.

“No,” Petras soothed. “I’ve gotten plenty of background information on you, Jack. You aren’t vain and have no medical knowledge outside of what you need for your job. You can CPR someone back to life, but you can’t get clean stitches like what our victims have had.”

Jack relaxed a little. “Do we have any idea of what’s going on?” he asked.

“Only that the Reaper has reappeared and is going after blonds now,” Petras frowned. “For that, I’m putting you under surveillance.”

“You’re…what?” Jack stared at him.

“If the Reaper is showing interest in you, I don’t want you left exposed,” Petras said. “I don’t want him thinking that he can grab you and turn you into his…masterpieces.”

Jack shuddered at the idea, but nodded. “Okay. Okay,” he nodded as he rubbed at his eyes. “The blonds around me should get the same protection,” he murmured. “Reinhardt Wilhelm and Jamieson Fawkes. Can we…?”

“I will look into it, but for now, tell them to be cautious,” Petras nodded.

“Right, thank you,” Jack nodded his head and ran his fingers into his hair. “Am I still on the case or…?”

“Yes,” Petras said. “But not as a full time investigator. If Reaper’s after you, I don’t want you getting too close. You’ll have full access to the files, but I don’t expect any reports.”

“I can work with that,” Jack said. “Sir, if I may…?”

“Take the rest of the day off,” Petras said. “I need your mind at peak efficiency. This new development is disquieting. I don’t need you having a nervous breakdown in your office.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jack nodded.

He started gathering his things and Petras walked him to the station door. He was talking with someone on his radio and inclined his head to Jack. His bodyguard would be following him. Jack nodded, his mouth oddly dry, and headed for his car.

What was he going to tell Gabriel?

* * *

 

“You…have a tag-along?” Gabriel asked as he watched the cop try to be discreet a fair distance behind them.

“Petras’ orders,” Jack said. “The case has…taken a turn. He’s afraid of the Reaper going after me.”

Gabriel frowned. That wasn’t what he wanted them to think at all! He wanted them to appreciate Jack’s beauty the same way that he did, showing off all of his perfections in the imperfections of another man. Why would they think that he wanted Jack as his next target? Idiots! Idiots the lot of them; didn’t even know what his messages meant. Why was he even wasting his time with these ungrateful bastards?

“I don’t see why he would,” Gabriel said. “You’re too sweet. And are good at your job. And he’s never killed a cop.”

“It’s just a precaution,” Jack shook his head and laced his fingers with Gabriel’s. “Besides, I’m not scared of being kidnapped while you’re with me.”

Gabriel smiled and leaned over to kiss his boyfriend’s temple. “I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he soothed. “You’re safe with me, my love.” He glanced back at the cop and leaned in close. “Although, I have to wonder if he’s going to tail us into your house. Will make it very hard to give you your birthday surprise.”

“I told you not to worry about that,” Jack hissed.

“Oh, honey, it didn’t cost me a thing,” Gabriel grinned wickedly. “You’ll love it, I promise.”

Jack let out a whine, but he didn’t make any move to make him stop. Gabriel knew how much Jack wanted sexy things in his life, but the pretty boy wasn’t great at asking for it. He was going to love his present. After their movie date, of course.

The cop kept a respectable distance through the night and saw them home after the movie. It wasn’t Gabriel’s favourite genre, but Jack had been excited to see it and Gabriel had been happy to indulge him. So long as Jack was happy, he was happy. That was what mattered.

He led Jack up to the bedroom, smirking as Jack squirmed more and more. He started fussing about him not needing to give him an early birthday gift, but Gabriel wasn’t hearing any of it. He had gotten everything done up just for this occasion. He wouldn’t get Jack’s undivided attention tomorrow since he had to go into work.

“Gabe,” Jack was as red as a tomato. “You don’t….”

“Ssh,” Gabriel purred as he led Jack over to his bed and made him sit down. “You just sit back and enjoy the show.”

“Show?” Jack swallowed.

Gabriel smiled as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. He slipped it off of his shoulders and pulled the two halves aside. Jack’s eyes widened before he covered his mouth and squeaked softly, staring at the tight red bra he was wearing. Gabriel chuckled, slowly stripping himself out of his shirt so that Jack could see all of his lingerie.

“Holy shit,” Jack whispered as he reached nervously towards him. “That looks hot.”

“Doesn’t it?” Gabriel asked as he stepped between Jack’s knees and leaned forward. “Go ahead; touch.”

Jack blushed a darker shade of red before his hands roamed gently over the tight material. Gabriel purred at the touch, feeling Jack’s soft hands roaming over his hard nipples. He’d been turned on since they walked through the front door and he really thought about what he was going to do with his boyfriend.

“Nice and firm, aren’t they?” Gabriel purred.

“Uh huh,” Jack whimpered. “Oh gods, Gabe.”

Gabriel chuckled as he reached behind him and slowly undid the bra. He watched Jack’s pupils dilate, his breathing hitching, and Gabriel purred as he slipped the tight red bra off of him. He’d opted for spandex rather than satin and lace, preferring how it held him and accented his pecs rather than made him look pretty. Judging by the way that Jack was reacting, he enjoyed it too.

“Want a taste?” Gabriel purred as he pulled Jack’s head slowly towards his exposed pec.

“Yes,” Jack whimpered as his mouth covered Gabriel’s pec and started kissing mercilessly. “Fuck, Gabe!”

Gabriel purred, cupping the back of his boyfriend’s head. Yes, that was it, Jack; indulge yourself. He’d been working out extra hard to make his body perfect for you. Someone as perfect as Jack deserved to have the very best for his mouth to explore. And from the feel of teeth grazing carefully over his nipple, Jack was greatly enjoying himself.

“Gabe,” Jack moaned as he pushed Gabriel’s pecs together. “Fuck.”

“I’ve left you speechless,” Gabriel purred. “Wait until you see the rest of your present.”

“The…rest?” Jack blinked dumbly up at him.

Gabriel smirked before he took a half-step backwards and slowly unbuttoned his jeans. He slid them off of his hips, watching Jack’s eyes widen as he realized what delightful underwear he was wearing. The thong barely contained him and as soon as his jeans were low enough on his hips, his erection rose proudly up to meet Jack’s eager hands. He heard Jack whispering soft curses as his fingers ran slowly down the length of red spandex holding his cock as lewdly as possible and set his hands on Gabriel’s hips.

“This…you did this for me?” he whispered in awe.

“I did,” Gabriel purred. “I only want the best for my beautiful partner.”

Jack stared up at him in awe before he pushed himself backwards and started kicking and tearing his clothing off. Gabriel laughed as Jack stripped and dragged Gabriel down on top of him. He did everything Jack wanted, nothing feeling obscene as Jack worshiped his body and marked him. If anyone knew about how possessive Jack got in bed, they wouldn’t believe him.

His dark flesh was covered in lovebites. The more vicious ones were soothed away with kisses, Jack’s soft blue eyes concerned every time a mark stayed red for a second too long. Gabriel loved it; Jack was indulging himself, but never forgetting Gabriel was there to enjoy himself too. It was wonderful and exhilarating. He didn’t want it to stop.

Jack sucked hard on the lower lip of his belly button before he scooted forward up Gabriel’s body. He rubbed his ass against the swell of Gabriel’s cock, but, based on where he was putting all of his weight, he wasn’t planning on riding him. Good. Gabriel licked his lips as Jack settled his cock between his pecs and gently pushed the rough muscle over the hot length. Gabriel smiled up at him before reaching up to hold his pecs in place over his boyfriend’s cock.

“Tight enough for you, baby?” he asked. “Or do I need to put a little more weight on it.”

“This is perfect,” Jack whispered before he started moving slowly. “Oh, fuck, Gabe. I didn’t know…are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Beyond okay,” Gabriel purred. “Come on, Jack. I’m not made of glass.”

Those seemed to be the magic words. Jack shivered and started thrusting roughly in the flesh encircling him. Gabriel moaned softly at the feeling, grinning as precum dribbled out of Jack’s cock. He smeared the fluid on the inside of his pecs, purring as it made Jack’s movements a little smoother. Jack whimpered and curled forward, bracing his hands on Gabriel’s shoulders as he moved. Gabriel whispered soft encouraging, watching Jack fall to pieces from this one act.

He let out a soft whimper, blue eyes fluttering closed. His movements started getting shallow and fast, rubbing his cock over Gabriel’s flesh in short bursts. He whimpered Gabriel’s name, digging his nails into Gabriel’s shoulders.

“Paint me like one of your French girls, Jack,” Gabriel purred.

Jack let out a burst of laughter and slumped over Gabriel’s head. He shook with laughter, filling Gabriel’s ears with the sound of angels singing. Gabriel purred as he reached forward and gently angled the head of Jack’s cock towards his face. He kissed over the head before reaching behind Jack and gently pushing a finger up into his tight hole.

Jack let out a cry of surprised delight before his cock splashed semen all over Gabriel’s chin and mouth. Gabriel groaned, lapping at the salty fluid that covered his face. He looked up at Jack and smiled, leaning back as he licked his lips again.

“Delicious,” he sighed happily. “Mmm, and here I thought I was supposed to be helping you enjoy your birthday. I just got the delicious cream filling that so many covet.”

Jack smiled and leaned back on his heels. “Well, you did get me to cum all over that face of yours, handsome,” he said before he squeezed Gabriel’s hips. “Roll over, please.”

Gabriel groaned and complied, lifting his hips up into Jack’s groin. He felt his lover’s cock tremble against his ass and started slowly rubbing up against it. Jack started playing with the thong, moaning softly before he knelt down to kiss over Gabriel’s hole. He gasped softly before slumping forward and lifting his ass up higher. He was all for this!  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The entire precinct is freaked out by the Reaper's latest creation and Petras has added some extra protection for Jack.  
> How does Gabriel help his poor boyfriend relax? Sexy lingerie. And it worked, strangely enough, because Jack was more than willing to forget his plight once he knew that Gabriel wanted him and was there for him. At least for a little while. Because nothing relieves stress like fucking your hot boyfriend, right?


	11. Chapter 11

Gabriel threaded the stitch carefully, his glasses sitting low on his nose to help him see. The little bunny in his hands was almost finished; it would just need a few special additions to really make it an individual. Jack had told him the colour to go with; pink and white, his Hana-bunny’s favourite colours; and asked if he could put little headphones on it since Hana was getting into gaming.

It was going to be fun crafting headphones for the little toy. He already had a few ideas sketched out, but he wasn’t sure what to do with it yet. His cellphone vibrated across his desk and he smiled as Jack’s ringtone sang out. He picked the phone up and set it against his ear, returning to finishing the bunny.

“And how’s the most beautiful man in existence?” Gabriel asked.

“I’m working late at the office,” Jack sighed. “I have a ton of reports I have to do.”

“Oh,” Gabriel frowned as he threaded his need through the soft felt. “How bad?”

“Bad,” Jack said. “Wish you were here.”

“I can be in ten minutes if you want,” Gabriel chuckled. “But, I suppose that would be breaking protocol, wouldn’t it?”

“It would,” Jack chuckled. “I’ll see you when I get home. I love you, Gabriel.”

“I love you too, Jack,” Gabriel said.

He hung up and sighed a little as he turned in his chair. He set the bunny on his desk and got to his feet, stretching his spine. He’d been bent over his desk working for far too long. He needed to stretch his legs. He was getting too old to sit hunched over like that for so long.

He walked over to the window looking down over the waterfront and smiled. This was the best place to set up a toy manufacturing company. Raw material was always coming in on ships and it cost a lot less to haul it a few hundred feet rather than across the city. And it gave a wonderful view too.

He sighed happily and turned away from the window. He had to take Jack out on the water at some point and let him get some real fishing in. No small-mouthed bass for him; only marlins, tuna, and other big fish to satisfy his need to fish. That would really make his day.

He deserved it after the nightmare that had happened with his latest art piece. Petras had never given anyone bodyguards before, not even the obvious people that would have once fit his victim profile. The fact that he was giving Jack a bodyguard annoyed him. It was so hard to get anything done with his beautiful angel when some pig was standing outside the door. Nothing killed the mood faster than a cop listening to you have sex.

Jack wanted the bodyguard; he was so scared of being next. Nothing Gabriel said soothed him and he was always one moment away from bursting into tears at night. He was stressed beyond belief and Gabriel knew he had to ease off on his kidnapping. His poor boyfriend didn’t need that on his mind.

He was just sitting down again when the door to his office opened. The door bounced violently off of the wall as one of the other artisans stormed into his office. The veins around his forehead were throbbing and he looked like he was ready to kill someone. Gabriel frowned as he carefully removed his glasses and set them on the table.

“Arthur,” he greeted slowly. “Is there a problem?”

“You stole my materials!” Arthur snarled.

“Stole your materials?” Gabriel blinked at him. “Arthur, when have I ever taken anyone else’s materials? I have my own and yours are terrible for stuffed animals.”

“I saw you! I saw you take my ribbons!” Arthur roared.

“Arthur, the ribbons belong to the company,” Gabriel said slowly. “I needed a few inches for a teddy bear bow. Everyone uses it.”

“Liar!” Arthur shrieked. “You’re a fucking thief! I’ll bring this to upper management, just you wait!”

“Go right ahead,” Gabriel reached up to rub at his eyes. “If you need special ribbon and don’t want anyone to touch it, keep it in your office. That’s what the rest of us do.”

“Are you lecturing me, Reyes?” Arthur demanded.

“I am telling you what the rest of us do,” Gabriel said. “It’s not really that…are you okay?”

Arthur grabbed the edge of the desk and swayed. His eyes were hazy and sweat was starting to drip down his face. His left arm slumped and he slowly coughed.

“Arthur?” Gabriel got to his feet. “What…?”

“My chest,” Arthur groaned before he slumped to the ground.

“Fuck,” Gabriel hissed before he grabbed his cellphone and dialed 911. “Yes, I need an ambulance! I think my co-worker’s having a heart-attack.”

* * *

 

Jack walked into Gabriel’s house and headed upstairs. Gabriel was lying on his bed with an arm over his eyes. He shed his uniform as quietly as he could and climbed into bed. He nuzzled Gabriel’s chest, waiting for his boyfriend to acknowledge him.

“You okay?” he asked when Gabriel’s fingers started running through his hair.

“Yah, just tired,” Gabriel murmured. “The cops drilled me for information and I’ve never been so frustrated.”

“They were just making sure there wasn’t any foul play,” Jack soothed.

“I know, honey, I know,” Gabriel sighed as he moved his arm off of his face. “It’s just frustrating having to repeat myself three or four times.”

“At least you’re okay,” Jack sighed. “I was so worried when they said you’d called 911 over a heart attack.”

“Bet you were relieved when you found out it was for a co-worker,” Gabriel chuckled before he rolled over.

He pressed a kiss to Jack’s forehead and slowly pushed his hair out of his face. Jack smiled and snuggled closer, wrapping his arms around Gabriel’s hips. Gabriel’s mouth moved slowly down to his neck, sucking lightly on his earlobe before he settled against Jack’s shoulder. Jack smiled and kissed down Gabriel’s jaw, purring as Gabriel sighed happily.

“You soothe all of my worries away,” Gabriel murmured against his shoulder. “I’m so glad that you stumbled into my life, Jack.”

“Mmm, the feeling is mutual,” Jack smiled and kissed Gabriel’s cheek. “You are a wonderful man. I love you so much.”

Gabriel nuzzled his slowly and purred happily. Jack started running his fingers slowly through Gabriel’s hair, marveling at the soft curls. He loved Gabriel’s hair; it was so soft and the texture was amazing. Gabriel had started to let it grow out since they’d started dating, loving it when Jack started playing with it. Jack wished he didn’t look like a drowned cat after he grew his hair out so that Gabriel could return the affection.

“I want to take you fishing,” Gabriel murmured. “I want to show you what real fishing on the open ocean is like.”

“Sounds expensive,” Jack said as he ran his nose over Gabriel’s forehead. “Can we afford it?”

“Jack, people do this all the time; yes, we can afford it,” Gabriel chuckled before he moved forward and pinned Jack down on his back. He smiled down at Jack and nosed his cheek. “You’ll love it. I promise. We’ll go on your next day off.”

“Okay,” Jack smiled up at him. “But, um, Gabe? I’m…I’m not in the mood for sex.”

“Hmm?” Gabriel blinked at him before he shifted his hold on Jack’s arms. “Oh, sorry. Wasn’t going for that. Sorry.”

He flopped down beside him and snuggled in close. He kissed over Jack’s shoulders before he smiled. His teeth grazed slowly over Jack’s jaw before he nuzzled his face into the space just behind his ear.

“Mmm, we need to think of a better living arrangement,” he said softly. “None of this two household nonsense.”

“Hmm,” Jack smiled. “I’d have to talk with my superiors, but I would love to move in with you, Gabe. And, you know, it would save us some time moving all my stuff in.”

“Agreed,” Gabriel purred before he hugged Jack close. “Get some rest, my darling. I love you.”

“I love you too, Gabriel,” Jack turned his head slightly to rest his head against Gabriel’s. “Night.”

* * *

 

Jesse stared out the window of Hanzo’s car as they drove down the highway. He let out a low sigh and glanced at his fiancée. He wished he was as good at hiding his thoughts as Hanzo was. He wasn’t as open as he sometimes thought he was, but he didn’t hide his emotions well.

“What is troubling you?” Hanzo asked as he stared out the windshield.

“I don’t like the idea of leaving Papa,” Jesse shook his head. “There’s…something wrong with him.”

“Wrong?” Hanzo frowned.

“Yah,” Jesse rubbed at his face. “He’s…I don’t know how to explain it. I’ve never seen him like this. It’s not natural for him to be that…I don’t know, active? Social? It’s like he’s doing everything he can to make sure that Jack likes him and is happy.”

“Is that bad?” Hanzo asked. “Maybe Jack is having a positive impact on him?”

“Papa was never overly social,” Jesse said. “But now he’s having barbeques with his old friends as if he had never stopped talking with them. And he made sure that Fareeha was sent to her grandparents out in the country where she could get to a military base with ease. Ana would have killed him for that; she didn’t want her to join the army.”

“You seem to be mistaking good social skills with malevolence,” Hanzo teased.

Jesse shook his head. “I don’t know,” he murmured. “Maybe. I hope I’m just reading everything wrong.”

Hanzo reached out and squeezed his hand. He smiled and Jesse melted a little in his seat. His Hanzo was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He leaned over and kissed Hanzo’s cheek, nuzzling him slowly before he pulled away. Hanzo smiled at him, his eyes brimming with love and adoration. What would he do without his darling?

He just hoped that Hanzo was right and that he was looking for trouble where it didn’t exist. Maybe Papa was doing just fine and didn’t need him getting too involved in his father’s love life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look, someone got hurt that wasn't an extent of Gabriel's aggression. And Gabe actually called for help instead of letting the man suffer. 
> 
> Jesse, just because you love Hanzo to bits doesn't mean he's always right.


	12. Chapter 12

Jack laughed as the boat swayed under his feet. He had no sea legs at all and trying to stay upright was damn near impossible. Gabriel wasn’t fairing much better than him, but he was smiling as he leaned on the railing. The guide was laughing as the other people on the boat did their best to remain upright.

The guide started talking about the area, telling them how the local Native Americans used to fish in these waters. Jack had little to no knowledge about coastal populations, but he trusted the guide to know their facts. For the most part. There was always room for error.

The guide handed him a fishing rod and explained to him how to set the weight and cast. Jack felt a little patronized, but he appreciated the help in getting used to the weight of the deep-sea fishing rod. It was very different to the fishing rods he was used to using in streams and lakes. Gabriel leaned against the railing and watched him as Jack watched the line.

“I know it’s not all that interesting,” Jack said as he slowly started reeling in. “But, thank you for bringing me out here.”

“Of course, honey,” Gabriel smiled at him. “Anything to make you happy.”

“And what can I plan for you in return?” Jack asked as he reeled in slowly.

“I’m happy if you’re happy,” Gabriel chuckled.

“That’s not fair, Gabe,” Jack pouted. “You do so much for me. I want to return the favour. There must be something you want to do; other than sex; that I can do for you.”

Gabriel looked at him silently for a moment before he smiled. He leaned over and kissed Jack’s cheek, nuzzling in close as he wrapped an arm around Jack’s hips. Jack smiled as he carefully cast his reel back out.

“I would love to take you somewhere special,” he said.

“Gabe, I’m supposed to do something special for you,” Jack said.

“It is,” Gabriel kissed his cheek. “I’d love to show you the place where I grew up. It’s a ways out of the city, out on some land that hasn’t really been used for a while.”

“I’d love to see it,” Jack smiled. “But that still doesn’t count.”

Gabriel shrugged and kisses his cheek. “Counts to me.”

Jack shook his head as he reeled the line in and cast out again. He could hear some bitter whispers around him focusing on his and Gabriel’s closeness. No matter where he went, there was always someone that didn’t know how to keep their mouth shut. Pity there wasn’t a hook for them to bite onto. Mouths that big should be on a hook.

He heard Gabriel growl against his back before he started moving. Jack grabbed his arm and squeezed, shaking his head to get him to stop moving. He didn’t want a fight.

“Don’t,” he whispered. “It’s not worth it.”

“No one would miss them,” Gabriel growled as he settled back against Jack’s shoulders. “Arrogant, ignorant….”

“Gabe,” Jack soothed and cupped his cheek. “Getting pissy isn’t going to solve anything. Let them whisper and think they’re being sneaky. It just reflects what assholes they are.”

“You’re too good for this world,” Gabriel snorted as he kissed Jack’s neck.

Jack’s line dipped violently, cutting off his answer. He let out a whoop as he jerked the line hard and started reeling in as fast as he could. Gabriel grabbed the rod to help him stabilize it, whooping just as loud as the guide hurried over with a laugh. Jack put his hips into hauling the fish onto the boat and grinned as the massive fish flopped angrily on the deck before Gabriel grabbed it.

“Beautiful,” Gabriel said as he held the struggling fish in his hands with some difficulty. “How’s that for the first catch of the day?”

“Nice sized albacore tuna,” the guide nodded his head. “Okay, get your pictures and then let the big guy go.”

Jack eagerly grabbed the fish by the tail and hoisted it up, keeping a hand under its head so that it didn’t thrash. The thing was almost as long as his arm and solid around the center. It was the first time he’d actually seen a tuna fish and he was a little surprised by how derpy it looked. But, he supposed that could be said about all fish; they didn’t look overly smart even though they were probably some of the best survivors on the planet.

Gabriel took a few pictures before Jack walked over to the edge of the boat and gently lowered the tuna into the water. It was docile for a moment, hanging in the water as if it were dead. Then, it gave a powerful snap of its tail and took off into the ocean, almost dragging Jack in with it.

Jack laughed as Gabriel hauled him back onto the boat. They shared a quick kiss before Jack punched both fists into the air and whooped in delight. If that was the first fish of the day, he couldn’t wait for more!

* * *

 

“Is there a problem, gentlemen?” Gabriel growled as he noticed some of the other anglers edging closer to him and Jack.

“You and your blond friend,” one man said slowly, “you’re rather…close.”

“You sound surprised,” Gabriel sighed. “Have you never seen a gay couple before?”

“Never one that was into fishing,” the man sniffed.

“Yes, because we’re all into fashion and getting our nails done, right?” Gabriel rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Not one of us thousands could possibly ever be interested in anything deemed ‘masculine’, right?”

“I’ve yet to meet one that was interested in fishing,” the man said.

“You just met one,” Gabriel gestured to Jack as he helped another angler haul a shark on board the ship, both of them stunned as the angry fish thrashed. “And he’s a cop, so watch your mouth.”

“They let that into the police academy?” the man’s friend asked in disgust.

Gabriel didn’t remember turning around, but Jack’s arms wrapped tightly around his chest and hauled him backwards before he could tear the man apart. He was shouting at him, promising death if he ever heard him say something like that to his sunshine again. The guide tried to get between them, asking them to settle down. The other man took a step forward and swung a punch at Gabriel’s head, a slur of some nature on his tongue.

Gabriel didn’t know Jack was capable of moving that fast. One minute he was hauling Gabriel away, the next, he was pinning the man to the ground and reading him his rights. Gabriel blinked as Jack slipped a pair of handcuffs over the man’s wrists and hauled him off to wait below deck.

“Where were you keeping those?” Gabriel asked when Jack returned.

“Back pocket, just in case,” Jack shrugged. “Captain radioed the coast guard and they’ll come collect his ass. It’s technically international waters so there’s going to be some legal hoops to jump through to figure out who gets to slap his ass with a hate crime.”

“You’re so protective,” Gabriel teased as he hugged Jack close. “And that shark was a black-tip.”

“Nice, hope you got a picture,” Jack smiled as he tucked himself under Gabriel’s jaw. “This was wonderful, Gabe. Aside from the racist and homophobic assholes, this was a great day.”

“I’m glad you had fun, my love,” Gabriel cooed as he kissed Jack’s cheek. “Wait until the next surprise.”

“Gabriel, please, don’t spoil me,” Jack laughed.

“But I want to,” Gabriel purred as he nuzzled Jack’s cheek. “I want you to know that you are the most precious thing in the world to me. Aside from my son, of course. Which reminds me; I need to get him a nice wedding present.”

“Towels are nice,” Jack mused.

“Embroidered towels,” Gabriel agreed before he tipped Jack’s head back to kiss him. “Beautiful idea.”

***

Jack was passed out cold in the seat on the way home. Gabriel knew how exhausting being out on the open water could be. All that fresh air and reeling could take it right out of you. He was glad that Jack was comfortable enough around him to fall asleep in his vehicle. Catherine never had; she hated sleeping in vehicles.

He reached over and ran his fingers through Jack’s hair, smiling as his boyfriend let out a long sigh of contentment. He shifted on the seat, leaning into Gabriel’s palm as he opened his eyes slightly. He smiled lazily at Gabriel before he reached up to rub at his eyes.

“Sorry, did I fall asleep?” he asked.

“Don’t worry, Jack,” Gabriel soothed. “You had an exciting day.”

“Mmm, but you’re probably just as tired,” Jack said as he tried to straighten up. “Not fair to make you drive without company.”

“I’m used to having Jesse with me, Jack; that kid could sleep through a hurricane,” he laughed. “Don’t feel bad about sleeping, Jack. I love that you’re comfortable sleeping in my car.”

Jack managed a tired smile before he curled up on the seat and immediately passed out again. Gabriel smiled as he drove through the city, winding his way through traffic back towards their houses. Jack had been spending more time at his house lately and he had a feeling that he was going to come home to Jack finally repainting his living room for him. He had the paint already picked out; he just needed to get his ass in gear.

Jack was still asleep when he pulled into the driveway. He smiled as he turned the engine off and got out of the car. He walked over to Jack’s side and hoisted his boyfriend into his arms. He was so adorable when he was like this; all snuggly and innocent. He wished he could keep Jack this way, far away from the people that would hurt him.

“You’re so beautiful,” he sighed as he carried Jack into the house and up to the room. “I wish you could see it the way that I do.”

Jack let out a soft sigh against his chest and Gabriel set him down on the bed. He stripped Jack out of his water-logged clothing and rolled him up in a blanket, smiling as Jack snuggled down into the mattress. He took his time getting changed, tossing their clothing into the bathroom so that the water didn’t ruin his bedroom floor.

Jack was sitting up when he returned, a shy smile on his face. Gabriel lifted an eyebrow and chuckled as he walked over to the bed.

“What?” he asked.

“You stripped me,” Jack said softly.

“Jack, you were soaked and asleep,” Gabriel frowned. “I wasn’t going to let you catch a chill.”

“Gabe,” Jack crawled towards him and gently took his hand. “I’m not mad. I’m…I’m touched. You do so much for me and I have no idea how to show my gratitude. You’re always there for me, no matter what. I…feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“I wouldn’t mind even if you were,” Gabriel said as he climbed onto the bed and kissed Jack gently. “Oh, Jack, I love you so much. I want to make your life perfect. I want you to be happy and fulfilled no matter what.”

“I want the same for you, Gabriel,” Jack said. “You just…I’m never sure if I can keep you happy.”

“You will,” Gabriel soothed as he kissed him. “Mmm, because even if all you do is smile, I feel like I’m on top of the world.”

“Well, now I feel even worse!” Jack laughed as he snuggled against Gabriel’s chest and played with the soft curls of damp chest hair. “Where have you been all my life, Gabriel? It’s like…I don’t know. A fairy tale, maybe. Like if I close my eyes it’ll slip away and leave me with the best memory of my life.”

Gabriel purred at the idea. A happily ever after with Jack after he slays all the dragons keeping him away? That sounded like complete and utter heaven to him. He pushed forward, gently lowering his burrito boyfriend back to the mattress. Jack smiled up at him and snuggled as he laid down, opening the blankets so that they could be rolled up together.

They kissed slowly before settling down to sleep. It might not have been late in the evening, but they were both exhausted. Sleep would do them a lot of good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack might have a soft heart, but never forget that he can and will kick your ass if he has to. He just chooses to use words instead of violence.  
> And this is a good way to off-set the violence that Gabriel usually commits ;p makes you forget for a minute that he killed his best friend.


	13. Chapter 13

“UNCLE JACK!”

“Hana-bunny,” Jack laughed as he scooped his niece up and spun her around over his head. “You’ve gotten so big! Are you eating all of your green vegetables like a good bunny?”

“Yes!” she laughed and reached her arms out to hug him. “I missed you!”

“It’s all she’s been talking about for weeks,” Jazz laughed as she kissed his cheek. “It’s great to see you, Jack. You look great.”

“Thanks, Jazz,” Jack smiled. “I’m glad you’re doing great out in Indiana.”

“Just as many gigs out there as there are in L.A if you know what to look for,” Jazz smiled. “And you look great, baby bro. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so filled out.”

“Well, I’ve got someone watching out for me,” Jack said as he set Hana on his hip. “Does my bunny want some carrot sticks?”

“Yes!” Hana grinned up at him. “I love carrots!”

Jack carried Hana into the kitchen and set her on the counter. He retrieved his container of premade vegetable sticks from the fridge and set it down between him and Hana. He knew that Hana adored her vegetables; a little strange for someone her age, but he knew Jazz wasn’t complaining; so he had cut a lot of fresh veggies to meet the demands of a growing kid. They solemnly tapped their carrot sticks together before biting into them with relish. Hana giggled as Jack’s big teeth chomped through the carrot with ease, covering her mouth as Jack wiggled his nose like a rabbit.

“You should have adopted,” Jazz teased as she brought hers and Hana’s luggage into the house. “You’re so great with kids.”

“My schedule wouldn’t have been good for a kid,” Jack smiled sadly. “And I have Hana-bunny for all of that.”

“You had Hana-bunny,” Jazz corrected as she picked up a piece of celery and chewed on it. “Now you’re halfway across the country. We only ever see you in video calls.” She smirked. “If you are decent, anyways.”

Jack stuck his tongue out at his sister as she headed upstairs to the spare bedroom. He was always decent; it was just whether or not he was covered in hickies across his chest and shoulders that determined if he was going to go on video chat with his sister and her kid. He did not want to have to explain why he was covered in bruises that looked like teeth marks to his young niece. He looked back at Hana and smiled, kissing her forehead.

“Have you been having fun at school, Bunny?” he asked.

Hana nodded happily. “I love math! The teacher says that it’s natural for me; what does that mean? Mommy gets mad when I say that,” she asked.

Jack sighed heavily. “Well, Hana, you know how Mommy picked you up at the airport when you were a baby?” he asked. She nodded. “Well, a lot of people say that the people from where you were born are inherently good at math.”

“Inherently?” she frowned.

“Naturally, sorry, honey,” Jack smiled. “I forget sometimes that you don’t know the same big words that I do. You’re such a smart girl, though. I know you’ll be baffling me soon enough with your list of big words.”

Hana smiled and stuffed another piece of carrot into her mouth. Jazz walked back into the kitchen just as the door to the house opened. Jazz looked over curiously and tensed, her eyes going big.

“Oh,” she said as Gabriel pulled his beanie off of his head and ruffled his curls. “Jack…damn.”

Jack grinned at his sister before he walked over to his boyfriend and kissed his cheek. “Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted. “Come meet the family.”

“Well, this is clearly your sister,” Gabriel smiled as he held his hand out. “Jasmine, correct?”

“Yes,” she said with a faint blush on her face. “But everyone calls me ‘Jazz’.”

Gabriel nodded his head as he shook her hand. “And this must be little Hana-Bunny.”

“Yes!” Hana grinned at him. “You’re really tall! Even taller than Grandpa!”

“Dad’s 6’1’’,” Jack chuckled.

“Ah,” Gabriel chuckled as he walked forward. “You aren’t scared, Bunny?”

Hana shook her head. “No! I think you look cool! You look like Matt from my class! He’s dark skinned too!” she grinned happily.

Gabriel chuckled as he leaned on the counter beside her. “I’m glad you aren’t afraid of me, Bunny. A lot of kids find me scary,” he said.

Hana shook her head again. “No! You aren’t scary!” she laughed. She paused and squinted at him before giggling. “Okay, maybe a little scary. But you’re nice, I can tell.”

Gabriel smiled and kissed her forehead. “Your Uncle Jack thinks so too,” he teased.

“Are you going to get married?” she asked. “Terrance’s daddies just got married! He wore a suit and everything! He carried their rings down the aisle and he said that his daddies were crying the whole time because they were so happy!”

Jack felt a blush creep up his face as he stared at the back of Gabriel’s head. Jazz, the traitor, was laughing behind her hand, grinning viciously at him. Gabriel chuckled and glanced over his shoulder.

“Well, I think Jack needs more time to decide,” he winked. “But I wouldn’t mind telling people that I married the most beautiful man in existence.”

Jack was definitely as red as a tomato. He wanted to die right then and there. He wanted the ground to swallow him whole so that he didn’t have to deal with his sister’s teasing. His parents were going to have a field day with this; little Jackie finally got himself a man that wanted to marry him. He was growing up. Why did you have to feed them, Gabriel? Why?!

“Yay! Can I be the flower girl?” Hana asked.

“There won’t be a ceremony!” Jack shouted before he could stop himself. “I’d rather just go to a court office and sign the papers!”

“That’s fine; I’ve done the whole rigmarole of marriage once before,” Gabriel said with a wave of his hand. “I’m glad I won’t have to do it again.”  

Jack pursed his lips, but he couldn’t stop the smile from sliding across his face. Gabriel winked again before he munched on carrot sticks with Hana. How had he managed to find such an amazing man? This was unbelievable!

* * *

 

Gabriel helped set up the streamers outside, smiling as Jack chased Hana around the backyard. He couldn’t believe how happy Hana made him; she may as well have been his kid rather than his niece. Jazz loved the help she got from her brother, gushing about how good he was with kids and how she wished he’d adopted his own so that someone could truly appreciate it.

Privately, Gabriel felt he was too old to really appreciate kids anymore. Sure, he liked Hana and thought she was cute, but having a kid demanding all of his attention at his age? He’d already gone through that once with Jesse and once was enough for him. He didn’t need to go through it all again.

He got the last of the streamers taped into place and stepped back to admire his work. He didn’t think he’d ever seen so much pink in one place before, but Hana was all about the colour. He’d seen Jazz try to get her to wear a different colour once or twice, but she always refused until her mother put something pink into the ensemble. It was adorable and slightly intimidating; girl was already stubborn.

“Uncle Gabe!” Hana laughed and latched onto his leg. “Uncle Jack told me to say thank you!”

“For what?” Gabriel chuckled.

“For hosting my party! He said that you have very important work to do, but you put it aside for me!” Hana grinned up at him.

“Oh, did he now?” Gabriel smirked towards Jack as his boyfriend sat down at the picnic table and waved. “Well, Jack likes to ruin surprises, apparently.”

Hana giggled before she raced back over to her mother. Gabriel walked over to Jack and sat down beside him, wiping the layer of sweat off of his forehead. Jack smiled and leaned over to kiss him, drawing a soft purr of approval from Gabriel.

“Hey,” Jack murmured.

“Hey,” Gabriel smiled as he ran his fingers through Jack’s hair. “How’s my favourite person?”

“I don’t know; I haven’t talked to Jesse since yesterday,” Jack teased.

Gabriel let out a soft laugh as he kissed his love again. “Smart-ass,” he teased.

Jack smiled at him and snuggled in against his side, smearing his sweaty face against Gabriel’s shirt. Gabriel rolled his eyes in amusement before he got to his feet to start putting supper on the barbeque. He didn’t like that he wasn’t able to enjoy Jack’s presence more, but he knew that hungry kids were holy terrors. Hana was racing around the backyard again, grinning widely as Jack trotted after her. Kid needed a dog or something to wear her out. She had a lot of energy.

He started grilling, smiling as he watched the Morrisons play with little Hana. She was a lucky kid to be so loved and cared for. Was this what other people saw when they saw him and Jesse growing up? A father giving his kid everything he could possibly give in the hopes that he came out okay? He hoped so, because, more than anything, he wanted people to see Jesse and not him. Jesse was the important part of the equation; Gabriel wouldn’t be the man he was today without his son.

He flipped the burgers as he heard Hana yelp. He winced as she started crying, turning around to see what had happened. She had tripped over her feet and landed on the ground, but he couldn’t see any damage done to her. Jack rushed over to her immediately and picked her up, walking over to the picnic table to have a look.

“How bad?” Gabriel asked.

“She’ll need surgery,” Jack said sternly. “That leg will have to go. It’s no more good.”

“No!” Hana whined and shook her head. “It’s fine!”

“But you fell on it,” Jack said. “And you were crying so it must hurt. It’s probably broken. We’ll have to amputate, I’m afraid.”

Hana shook her head and Gabriel chuckled. That was a good way to stop a child freaking out over a small amount of pain. Probably crying more from embarrassment anyways. Hana argued with Jack for a moment before he kissed her knee and let her run off.

“She’s fine,” Jack mentioned as he walked over to Gabriel and leaned on his arm. “Not burning anything?”

“Of course not,” Gabriel smiled. “You’re really good with her.”

“Yah,” Jack smiled sadly as Jazz chased Hana around the yard. “I…used to want kids.”

“Not anymore?” Gabriel asked as he flipped the burgers over.

“I just…I missed that wagon, you know?” Jack shrugged. “I’m in my thirties now and when I think about having kids of my own, I know it’s not the thing for me.”

“You can help me whip Jesse into shape,” Gabriel teased. “I need all the help I can get now that he thinks he’s a big boy.”

Jack chuckled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “I’d like that,” he said. “A full grown kid that I don’t have to worry about fucking up.”

“I already did that for you,” Gabriel teased before he tipped Jack’s chin up to kiss him a little deeper. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jack smiled up at him before he helped Gabriel get the buns ready for the burgers.

They carried everything over to the table and Hana eagerly piled pickles and ketchup onto her burger. She chirped her thanks before devouring the burger, stuffing so much into her mouth that Gabriel was worried that she was going to choke. Jazz and Jack gave similar sighs of “Hana” and she slowed down, grinning as she swallowed what was in her mouth.

“That was delicious,” Jazz smiled as she wiped her mouth clean. “Been a while since I’ve had a decent barbeque.”

“Well, it’s always barbeque weather in L.A,” Gabriel chuckled. “Move up here and I can barbeque whenever you want.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Jazz grimaced as she helped herself to another burger. “But I’m in a good neighbourhood back home and Hana’s getting to see her birth culture in action. I can’t beat what I have.”

“Well, I won’t twist your arm too much then,” Gabriel smiled. “Wouldn’t want to uproot Hana from a good place.”

“No,” Jazz smiled as Hana finished her burger. “Want another one, sweetie?”

“Yes please!” Hana grinned widely. “Uncle Jack, why aren’t hamburgers made of ham?”

Gabriel smirked as Jack pulled out his phone to look up why they were called hamburgers. Smart man; he was lucky he had a means to alleviate the child’s curiosity. He had to rack his brain for answers when Jesse was small. Hana giggled as she started eating another hamburger, listening to Jack answer all of her questions.

Gabriel winked as he got up and went inside to get the cake out of the fridge. Jazz smirked after him, clearly enjoying the delight he was taking in watching Jack “suffer” Hana’s questions. He checked the cake to make sure everything was in place before he set six candles into the top and lit them. He carried the cake outside and smiled as Jack and Jazz started singing happy birthday.

He set the cake down in front of Hana and she squealed as she stared at the bunnies bouncing around on the top. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then blew out all the candles. They cheered for her before Jazz started cutting the cake up. Hana bounced excitedly before cramming her piece in her mouth, much to her mother’s exasperation.

“Hana, small bites, please!” Jazz said. “You’re going to choke.”

Hana shook her head as she swallowed. “No way! I can eat everything!”

“Polite people take small bites,” Gabriel said as he spooned a piece of cake into his mouth. “Okay, that’s amazing,” he groaned and covered his mouth. “Jack, you have to try this.”

Jack shook his head as he peeled a cupcake. “I hate mocha,” he said. “It’s so…bitter.”

“But it’s good,” Gabriel teased as he wiggled his spoon towards Jack’s mouth. “Please, sweetie, just one bite?”

“Will it make you leave me alone afterwards?” Jack teased back.

“Maybe,” Gabriel grinned widely.

“Fine,” Jack sighed. “But just one bite.”

Gabriel purred his approval as he popped the spoon into Jack’s mouth. He watched the wave of disgust roll across his love’s face as he pulled the mouthful off of the spoon and swallowed it. He gave a full-body shudder, earning a laugh from Hana as she watched him.

“Oh, you really don’t like it,” Gabriel pouted playfully. “Well, so much for keeping most of the cake.”

“I told you,” Jack stuck his tongue out. “You just set yourself up for disappointment.”

“With you? I’m never disappointed,” Gabriel smiled before he ate another bite of cake.

Jack touched his chest and smiled at him. They shared a soft kiss, earning a giggle from Hana as Jazz got up to bring the presents outside. They pulled away as Jazz set the humble pile down, pointing at Hana to make her sit down. She waited patiently as Jack handed her one present at a time, tearing it open and squealing with delight.

She got a few new dolls, a set of play-tools, a video game designed to help her with her basic educational skills, and an adorable set of bunny ears that moved with her mood. She giggled happily as she set the bunny ears on her head, grinning as Jack helped her to get them to move based on her thoughts. Gabriel’s gift was last; by design, no doubt; and Jack handed it to her.

“This is from Uncle Gabriel,” he said with a smile.

“Thank you,” Hana said pre-emptively before she tore the packaging off of the box.

She lifted the lid and stared at the bunny in the box. She picked it up in awe, staring at the pink and white felt stuffed toy. She sniffled before hugging it close, nuzzling into the soft material with a soft whimper.

“I love him!” she said. “Thank you so much!”

“I’m glad, Hana-bunny,” Gabriel smiled. “I worked very hard on him.”

“Huh?” Hana frowned at him. “You made him? By yourself?”

“Of course,” Gabriel smiled. “It’s my job to make toys like this. They’re very popular.”

Hana bit her lip to keep from crying as she rubbed at her eye. “Thank you, Uncle Gabe! I’ll love him forever,” she promised.

Gabriel smiled as he leaned past Jack to kiss her head. He was glad that she liked his gift so much. She deserved all the sweet gifts for being such a sweet girl. Just like her uncle deserved all the happiness in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel so does like making kids happy. They're so sweet and innocent; it certainly helps that Jack adores his little niece. Meanwhile, Jack is positive he's hit the jackpot with his boyfriend; not only does he want to marry him, but he's so good with his niece!


	14. Chapter 14

“Hana, come on,” Jazz called as she brought the luggage down the stairs. “Time to go.”

“Mama! I can’t find Bennet!” Hana shrieked.

“Wasn’t he on the nightstand?” Jazz sighed as she set the luggage down.

“No! I can’t leave him, Mama!” Hana whimpered. “He’s family!”

“I think I saw him,” Jack soothed as he touched his sister’s shoulder. “Hang on.”

He headed back upstairs and walked down to the washroom. Gabriel was at work trying to get some orders done ahead of schedule, but had said his farewells before he’d left. Hana was miserable to be leaving already, but Jazz needed to get back home for work. And, in typical child-fashion, Hana had managed to misplace her bunny.

He thought he’d seen the little bunny in the washroom and he wasn’t wrong. There was the little devil sitting on the sink looking as sweetly innocent as its owner. He shook his head in amusement as he picked it up. The simple motion made one of the limbs flop to the side and Jack tensed.

Those stitches looked uncannily familiar. They were so clean and perfect, not one wasted movement. It didn’t seem possible. It had to be a common stitch, that’s all. But…what if it wasn’t? What if it was familiar for a terrifying reason? He had to make sure. He had to be sure that he wasn’t right.

He hurried to the bedroom and grabbed his phone. He took pictures of the stitching from every angle he could think of, making sure to keep them as crisp and clean as possible. He was not going to let something like this slip by. If it was nothing, then he didn’t have to worry about it. But if he wasn’t going crazy….

Then this bunny was evidence that Gabriel and The Reaper were connected. It seemed outlandish; Gabriel wasn’t capable of such disgusting violence. He had been as horrified by the media images as everyone else and had murmured about the evil that existed in the world.

But the more he stopped and thought about it, the more it made sense. Jack wanted to be sick; was he in love with a murderer? Not just a murderer, but one with so twisted a mind that he turned his victims into art pieces. Although, Jack hesitated to call them that. They were hideous creations and Jack didn’t want to think about his connection to them.

He set his phone in his back pocket and headed downstairs, pushing smile to his face. He didn’t want to worry his sister and he was old hat at pretending to be okay. So long as he had a smile on, she wouldn’t notice. And don’t forget the jokes.

“Here you are,” Jack chuckled as he handed the bunny over to Hana. “You left him on the sink.”

“Yay!” Hana giggled as she hugged her bunny to her chest. “You’re the best, Uncle Jack!”

Jack smiled as he tried to subtly send his family on their way. He needed to run to the precinct and see what was really happening in his life. Jazz didn’t seem to notice his attempts to get her out the door, kissing his cheek after Hana had given his waist a big hug.

“You be good,” she teased. “Stay out of trouble.”

“Me? Get into trouble?” Jack asked innocently. “Why, my sweet sister, do you know who you’re talking to?”

“My bratty little brother,” she laughed as she got into the car. “Love you.”

He waved as she pulled out of the driveway and headed away down the street. He waited until she was gone for twenty minutes before he left to get to his office. He did his best not to think about what he was about to do, not sure if he could handle the truth when it was staring him in the face.

He ignored everyone as he headed to his office and yanked out the casefile on The Reaper. He thumbed through the pictures until he found one with a good close-up on the stitching on the corpses. His hands were shaking as he pulled his phone out and compared the images.

It was a perfect match. The knot at the end. The perfect, tight strokes. Everything. It was exactly the same.

“Oh no,” Jack whispered as he sank into his chair.

He stared at his phone, not believing what he was looking at. What the similarities meant. Gabriel was The Reaper. He had moved in with the Reaper. He was fucking the Reaper. He was in love with the Reaper.

His breath started coming in short gasps and he reached up to grab his throat. He squeezed, trying to get himself to calm down, but it wasn’t working. His mind was spiralling downwards into madness, going down a thousand different routes as he tried to understand what had happened. He covered his mouth to keep himself from laughing, tears burning their way down his face.

He shoved the paper back into the file and threw it in his desk. He cleaned his face, sucking in furiously from between his teeth. He backed out of his photo gallery and started pacing his office, trying to think of what to do. Tears were still burning down his face, but he was angry now, not scared.

Gabriel had used him. Had lied to him. He had been playing with him, acting like the perfect partner while knowing damn well that Jack was going to be intimately involved with every single body that he left for the police to find. He had played him and Jack was done with it.

He couldn’t go to his superiors, not yet. Not without it looking like he was just jumping at shadows. They wouldn’t take the stitches as a good enough sign and would only chalk it up to a lover’s spat gotten out of control. He needed Gabriel to confess and turn himself in. That would be near impossible to do, but he would get it to happen. He knew he could; if Gabriel actually was as head over heels for him, he could get him to confess.

He snatched his phone up and texted Gabriel. _‘We need to talk.’_

_‘Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good. I’m off around four. Is that okay?’_

_‘Yes. Perfect. See you then.’_

Nice and ominous to have Gabriel worried. He would have his mind running for the hours it would take before he could come home. He nodded sharply and stuck his phone back into his pocket. He turned around and opened the door just in time for Satya to bump into his chest.

“Oh, hello,” he smiled.

“Are you alright?” Satya asked as she blinked up at him. “You practically ran to your office.”

“I thought I had a breakthrough with the case,” he said.

“Really?” Satya stared at him.

“Yah, I’m following up on it now,” he said before he leaned in close. “If I’m not here tomorrow, get a search warrant for my new home.”

“Jack?” Satya whispered.

“Trust me,” he smiled before he gave her a quick hug. “See you tomorrow.”

She nodded and waved as he hurried back out to his car. He drove home, carefully rehearsing what he was going to say to Gabriel. He spent the day cleaning the house, making sure that it was spotless so that any disturbance would be obvious. If Gabriel got violent, he wanted all the possible evidence for them to find his body.

He finished mopping the floor when Gabriel pulled into the driveway. Jack took a deep breath and moved towards the entrance, lifting his chin as he heard the garage door close. Gabriel walked through the front door and blinked at him.

“Jack, what’s wrong?” Gabriel asked as he closed the door. “ _Mi luna_ , talk to me.”

“You’re the Reaper,” Jack growled.

Gabriel froze and his eyes hardened after a moment. He stared down at Jack with an intensity that made his bladder loosen a little. It took a lot of muscle control to not piss himself. That was not Gabriel staring at him; that was a predatory animal looming over him looking for an opening.

“What makes you think that I am the Reaper?” Gabriel asked.

“I saw the stitching on Hana’s rabbit; it’s identical to the stitching used on the bodies,” Jack said. “Did you think this was funny, Gabriel? Jerking me around, using me as a fucking shield?”

“A shield?” Gabriel asked, tipping his head slowly to the side. “Why would I use you as a shield, Jack?”

“I’m a cop; how many times did you jerk off thinking about how you were above suspicion because of the fact that you were fucking me into your mattress?” Jack snarled.

“Jack, Jack, Jack,” Gabriel shook his head as he took a step forward. “I would have fucked you into the mattress regardless of your occupation. You are my starlight.”

“Don’t lie to me, you sociopath,” Jack snarled. “You don’t give a fuck about me!”

“You are the only thing I care about,” Gabriel snapped. “Everyone else can drop dead.”

“Even Jesse?” Jack sneered. “Jazz? Hana? My parents? Your sisters? Do they mean nothing to you?”

Gabriel glared at him before he reached out to cup Jack’s chin in his hand. “For you and Jesse, I would kill every last person in L.A,” he said ominously.

Jack tried to pull away, but Gabriel’s grip was like iron. His other arm wrapped around Jack’s waist and pulled him flush against Gabriel’s chest, preventing him from moving. Even when Jack tried to wiggle, Gabriel wouldn’t let him move. His eyes were alive with a dangerous fire and Jack feared for his life.

“You are mine, Jack,” Gabriel said as he ran his fingers through Jack’s hair. “All mine. Forever and for always. Mine to worship and adore. Just as I am yours to do with as you please.”

“I don’t want that,” Jack whispered.

“Why not?” Gabriel asked with a smile that chilled Jack to his bones. “You want me by your side forever, doting on you and loving you even when you can’t bring yourself to do the same. You hate yourself because of what society has told you; I love you for who you are. It makes you hard.”

“It does no-!”

Gabriel kissed him, his mouth moving dangerously against Jack’s lips. His tongue rolled across his lips and Jack melted. He tried to resist, but the kiss was hot, everything he could ever want and need. That tongue pressed into his mouth, curling and claiming him in a way that made him weak in the knees.

“You want me to take control, to worry about everything for once,” Gabriel whispered into his mouth. “You want to watch me work, to watch me create my artwork.”

“Your mutilated corpses aren’t art,” Jack whispered stubbornly. “They’re abominations.”

“And yet you have pictures of them,” Gabriel smiled as he pulled away. He licked his lips and went for Jack’s throat, kissing and biting the soft flesh. “You see them when you close your eyes. They haunt your steps. That is art, my love. Art in its purest form.”

“This can’t go on,” Jack said as he tried to pull away. “No more. Please!”

“No,” Gabriel purred. “I remember why I started. I’m ridding the world of disgusting people, Jack.”

“What makes you so morally superior to judge others?” Jack demanded. “Dolly? Martin? Bianca? Harini? Catharine?”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “Do not say her name,” he growled. “I don’t want that spiteful, disgusting bitch’s name on your lips. Your mouth is too pure for her.”

“You killed your wife,” Jack snarled. “You don’t love anyone, Gabriel. It’s all a farce so that you can get what you want!”

Gabriel growled and grabbed Jack’s arms. “You don’t know anything, Jack Morrison,” he hissed. “So stop talking. Drop the case. Leave the city. I’ll follow. I’ll always follow.”

“If I leave, it won’t be with you,” Jack said as he tried to pull away. “You are going to jail and you will pay for what you’ve done, Gabriel!”

“Based on what evidence, Jack?” Gabriel laughed. “A stitching pattern? That’s not incriminating.”

“I have this conversation recorded,” Jack smirked at him. “You admitted to everything.”

“So clever,” Gabriel cooed before he leaned in close and kissed his neck. “Except,” he lifted his hand up and showed him his phone, “it hasn’t recorded sweet shit since I turned it off on you.”

“What? No!” Jack thrashed. “No!”

“I won’t lose you, Jack,” Gabriel purred. “You are mine.”

“I don’t belong to you,” Jack said as he managed to break away from Gabriel. “You don’t own me!”

He turned, ready to bolt for the back door, but Gabriel moved faster than he anticipated. Gabriel grabbed him by the arm and the back of his head. He was whipped around and his head bounced painfully off of the counter. He sagged in Gabriel’s arms, unable to fight as Gabriel scooped him up and carried him to the bedroom.

“I own you, just as you own me,” Gabriel said as he walked up the stairs. “My beautiful, golden angel. You are so pure, so innocent in spite of your life. I love you. I will always love you. I will not lose you.”

Jack whimpered as he was tied up with his arms and legs bound together. He tried to fight, but he was still disoriented from the attack. A length of cloth was slipped between his teeth, gagging him and stopping him from screaming for help. Gabriel brushed his hair to the side and kissed his temple.

“This is for the best, my love,” he said. “Trust me.”

Jack whimpered and closed his eyes. At least Satya would send people to look for him tomorrow. Gabriel would not get away with this.

* * *

 

Gabriel packed enough clothing for him and Jack in a suitcase and hauled it out to the car. He felt horrible for attacking Jack, but he couldn’t lose him. He wouldn’t allow that unthinkable horror to happen. He loved Jack with all of his heart and he refused to let anything come between them. It was too bad he had to smuggle Jack out; he would have loved to take him away from L.A of his own volition.

He got food into a cooler, sighing a little heavily as he looked around the kitchen. What a pity that he had to leave everything he loved behind. It wasn’t fair. But, he supposed that was what happened when he had a cop for a lover. They always were so unwilling to let a man continue to do his good for society if it was outside their notion of the law.

He put the cooler into the car before collecting a few more items. He stored them away in the trunk before he headed back upstairs. Jack was lying on the bed, whimpering and chewing on the cloth between his teeth. He looked up as Gabriel approached, narrowing his eyes. He thrashed in his binds, but he couldn’t escape. Gabriel knew how to make sure that didn’t happen.

“I’m sorry, Jack,” he said as he picked his lover up. “I don’t like doing this to you.”

Jack snarled something, but it was impossible to make out around the cloth. He kissed Jack’s temple as he headed downstairs to the garage. He laid Jack down in the front seat, reclining the seat back as far as it could go and strapping him in so that he was facing Gabriel.

“It’s going to be perfect, Jack,” Gabriel said. “Once we’re away from here. Just you and me. Far away from this stupid city. We’ll be so happy.”

Jack whimpered and shook his head. Gabriel closed the car door and went to leave a message on Jack’s phone. He left it on the counter where it could easily be found. Anyone that came to investigate would find a message that read “Do not follow me. No harm will come to Jack, but the same cannot be said for anyone else. He is mine. Reaper.” He also made a point to delete all the pictures of Hana’s bunny that showed his stitching; he wasn’t giving them free information.

He climbed into the car, calling Jesse to let him know that he and Jack were going on a much needed vacation. They were going to be out of cell service, but he’d keep him updated. That would keep the police guessing for a little while. None of them were smart enough to make the connection. He smiled at Jack as he backed out of the garage and drove off down the road.

“You’re going to love it, Jack,” he purred. “Just you and me. It’s going to be magical.”

Jack looked at him miserably before he closed his eyes. Tears leaked down his face and Gabriel’s heart broke. His poor Jack; he shouldn’t have had to cry. Stupid society getting in the way of his darling’s happiness!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And shit has officially hit the fan. Time for every carefully laid plan that Gabriel has to fall apart at his feet.


	15. Chapter 15

Jack had no idea where he was when he woke up. Gabriel had purposefully set him up so that he couldn’t see anything out the windows. He knew it was so that he wouldn’t know what direction they were going if he tried to escape, forcing him to rely on Gabriel now more than ever. He hadn’t expected this outcome. He should have.

How stupid was he to expect he could control someone like Gabriel? It was all an illusion, all a lie, just so that Gabriel could get in his pants. He should have known that and yet he’d let himself believe otherwise. Gabriel’s hold on him was better than he had expected. It was a terrifying reminder just how powerless he was.

“Almost there,” Gabriel said. “You’re going to love it, Jack. You won’t have to worry about anything anymore. Should have done this a while ago, before this got out of hand.”

Jack whimpered around his gag. He didn’t want this; he loved his job. Gabriel was the reason it was a nightmare! If he hadn’t started killing people again and stringing them up like they were art pieces, they wouldn’t be going through this right now. If he wanted Jack to be happy, he should have just left people alone. Gabriel’s fingers pushed gently through his hair and he lifted his gaze to glare at the other man.

“Ssh, it’s okay,” Gabriel soothed. “I love you, Jack. I really do; don’t doubt that.”

Gabriel turned the wheel and Jack heard tires on gravel. He tried to sit up, but the bonds around his wrists and ankles kept him from moving enough to see out a window. He growled and thrashed for a moment before lying back down, utterly exhausted. Gabriel made soothing sounds, but the man was anything but soothing right now.

“Here we are,” Gabriel said as he turned the car off. “Home sweet home.”

Gabriel got out of the car and walked around to pick Jack up. He thrashed for a moment, screaming into the cloth, but it barely affected Gabriel. His gait was still calm and collected as he headed inside, holding Jack close to his chest.  He was set down on an impossibly soft bed and Gabriel slowly untied him.

He rubbed circulation back into Jack’s wrists, not resisting as Jack twisted around to beat at him with his fists. Jack shrieked as he attacked Gabriel, swinging as hard as he could. His fists connected with flesh and Gabriel backed off, grunting softly as Jack bolted for the stairs. His legs were full of pins and needles as he scrambled towards safety, threatening to collapse out from under him. He didn’t care; the feeling would come back to them in time and then he could really put some distance between them.

He rushed out the front door of the cabin and stared off across the vista. His breath whooshed out of him and he sank to his knees, staring off across the landscape. It was beautiful, more majestic than anything he could have imagined. Pines swayed overhead, their branches heavy with unopened cones. Birds flitted by overhead, singing loudly as they searched for a mate and declared where their territory was. They were perched on the side of a hill and a rugged line of rock and loose soil marked the way down into a green valley cut into by a small river. In the valley below, a loud wolf howl rose up, quickly joined by others.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Gabriel asked as he walked up behind him and sat down. “I know you’ll love it, Jack, if you just give it a chance.”

Jack swallowed and looked at Gabriel, feeling tears roll down his face. “Why?” he managed to choke out. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“I love you,” Gabriel replied as he leaned forward and kissed him. “I love you so much, Jack. I want to be with you forever. This way, out here, we don’t have to worry about anyone or anything. We can just be together.”

Jack pulled away and got to his feet. He stared out across the wide expanse of rugged terrain, taking in how desolate it was beyond the safe confines of the house. He let out a broken noise before he turned around and headed back inside, wiping at his eyes. He didn’t know the land, he didn’t know where he was; trying to escape would be suicide. At least until he could figure out where the hell he was, it was better just to stay where there was food and water.

* * *

 

“Jack?” Satya asked as she knocked on the door to Gabriel Reyes’ home. “Jack, are you home?”

No one answered. No amount of knocking or doorbell ringing brought anyone to the door. Mr. Reyes worked on commission, she remembered Jack telling her that, so he should have been home. She glanced at the other officer with her before she pulled out her lockpicks. She didn’t like kicking in a door to gain access. She had all the permits she needed to gain entry to the house and she’d rather not leave an expensive bill for the owners to repair after she left.

It took her five minutes to pick the lock and it swung open without so much as a squeak. Mr. Reyes kept it well oiled, apparently. She put her picks away and walked in, glancing around curiously. A number of things stood out to her as being missing; the toaster, a blender, a number of knives that should have been in the stand, pans and pots that should have been hanging next to their siblings on the wall.

“Spread out,” she instructed as she started walking. “Top to bottom. Let’s go.”

She walked into the kitchen and picked up Jack’s cellphone. It shouldn’t have been sitting out on the counter like that. It was like a beacon begging her to pick it up. She checked it quickly to make sure that it wasn’t rigged to blow before she clicked the bottom button. She pursed her lips at the lock screen; that was an adorable picture of him and his niece, both of them using a bunny filter that Instagram was famous for; before timidly punching in Hana’s birthdate.

Oh, Jack; you were so predictable. Her victory turned to horror as she read the note left under the lock screen. Her mouth opened before she swore loudly and immediately got in contact with dispatch.

“Get me Chief Petras!” she said as soon as the operator picked up. “Captain Jack Morrison has been kidnapped.”

Within the hour, squad cars surrounded the house and Satya was explaining what she had noticed about the scene to Petras. He was frowning, glancing at the officers that were supposed to be guarding Jack. They said they hadn’t noticed anything suspicious around the house other than Gabriel leaving shortly after six the evening before and hadn’t returned. They had assumed he had gone in for a late shift at work and had fallen asleep at his desk. It wasn’t the first time he’d done something like that.

“This isn’t right,” Satya shook her head. “Why would the Reaper go after Jack and Mr. Reyes? He’s never taken two at a time before.”

“Perhaps Mr. Reyes got in the way,” Petras said. “And, considering how much Jack cared for his partner, the Reaper brought him along to keep Jack from doing anything stupid.”

Satya frowned as the other investigators combed through the home. Clothing was missing. Food was missing. But there was no sign of where Jack and his lover were or where they had gone. It was so immaculately planned that Satya was immediately fearful.

“There has to be someone we can contact,” she said as she watched the other officers comb through Jack’s closet.

“I’ll get Jack’s phone back to the precinct,” Petras said as he turned away. “One of the techs should be able to find us something, anything, to point us towards a lead.”

Satya nodded and headed over to start looking through a cupboard. She didn’t want Jack to be another victim of the Reaper. That monster had taken enough from the city without adding Jack’s sweet face to the long list. She didn’t think that her heart could handle such a tragedy.

* * *

 

Gabriel watched Jack sit on the porch of the cottage and sighed. He knew this would be difficult for his darling, but he hadn’t thought he would be so miserable. At least he was still eating, not refusing anything put in front of him, even if he did eat less than Gabriel gave him.  He was just quiet, refusing all of Gabriel’s attempts to comfort him.

“Jack,” he said as he sat down beside him. “Darling, will you not talk to me?”

Jack shot him a watery glare before he looked out over the vista. “You kidnap me and expect me to just play house with you?” he snapped. “Your head is shoved so far up your own ass I’m surprised you aren’t choking on your own noxious fumes.”

Gabriel blinked before gently taking Jack’s hand. “Sweetheart,” he said. “I didn’t kidnap you.”

“You tied me up against my will and removed me from my home,” Jack said. “You kidnapped me. Like one of your damn victims.” He closed his eyes and balled one of his hands into a fist. “How long until you parade my corpse around because you realized that I’m not some perfect creature?”

“Never,” Gabriel said as he shifted to cup Jack’s cheek and make him meet his gaze. “I will never do that to you.”

“I can’t trust you,” Jack snarled as he got to his feet. “And I never should have.”

He turned and stormed off into the cottage, slamming the door hard behind him. Gabriel let out a long sigh and rubbed at his face. He should have anticipated this. Why was it that he was so inept when it came to anticipating Jack’s reactions? Why did all of his plans fail to work with Jack? He could stalk someone for weeks, learn all of their patterns, and kidnap them without a hitch, but Jack? He never seemed to get it right.

He headed back inside and listened to see where Jack was. He could hear faint sobs coming from upstairs and headed up to the second floor. He walked to the door of the bedroom and leaned his ear against the wood. Jack let out a hiccup on the other side before a pillow thumped against the door.

“Go away!” he shouted.

Gabriel sighed and pushed the door open. Jack was curled up on the bed, his face buried in the pillow, and his shoulders shaking. His broken sobs tore at Gabriel’s heart, but he pushed forward. He crawled onto the bed beside Jack and wrapped his arms around Jack’s waist.

“I love you,” he whispered. “I swear, I never meant to hurt you. I wanted you safe, Jack. That was always there at the forefront of my mind. I just…I got so consumed with my work, with showing the world your beauty in those ugly individuals that I captured that I forgot how it would affect you.”

“You murdered innocent people,” Jack sobbed. “You’re a monster!”

“They weren’t innocent,” Gabriel whispered. “None of them were innocent. Oh, Jack; none of my victims were random. There was a commonality to them. Didn’t you see that? Didn’t you read their files?”

“They had some dark dealings, but there was no evidence to support anything,” Jack sniffled.

Gabriel pressed his head against the back of Jack’s head and took a deep breath. Then, he told him everything. As his story went on, he felt Jack tensing in his arms. Then, he started sobbing uncontrollably, rolling over to hug and kiss him, screaming as his tale continued. He didn’t spare his love any of the details, holding him close as tears leaked down his face.

“I did it to keep you and Jesse safe,” he whispered. “That was always at the forefront of my mind.”

“Gabe, Gabe!” Jack sobbed, his fingers digging into his shirt. “I’m sorry!”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Gabriel whispered as he held Jack close. “Nothing. Your reactions are completely rational. I have hurt you, I know that. I only hope to make it up to you.”

Jack sobbed harder, reaching down to cover his mouth. Gabriel kissed his forehead and hugged him close, pressing his head into his shoulder. His poor darling. No matter what he did, he only managed to hurt him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Jack's stuck in the middle of nowhere with no phone and no way to navigate his way out of wherever Gabriel brought him. So, rather than running off into the wilderness and HOPING that he finds a road, he sticks around...and learns exactly why Gabriel is The Reaper. Don't worry, you'll find out too~ just not yet ;p  
> and now Satya and the LAPD are looking for them; let's hope they're better at finding him than they are most of the people that The Reaper kidnaps.


	16. Chapter 16

Jesse frowned as the house phone rang. He walked over and picked it up, setting the phone snuggly against his shoulder as he cleaned a dish.

“Howdy,” he said.

“Is this Jesse McCree?” the woman on the other end of the line asked. Her voice was nicely accented; Indian, he believed; but the tone had him worried.

“Yah,” he said.

“I’m Sergeant Vaswani with the Los Angeles Police Department,” the woman said. “I…I have some questions for you.”

“I…is my dad okay?” Jesse asked.

“We haven’t seen him in a few days,” Sergeant Vaswani said. “Him or Jack.”

“Dad said they were going on vacation,” Jesse said, his mind already running away from him.

What could his father have done to get himself and Jack in trouble? Why hadn’t he told anyone else that he was going on vacation? It wasn’t very smart and his father was brilliant. Why would he let the police search for him if he was just going on vacation?

“Jack did not tell us about that,” Sergeant Vaswani said. “Jack and I are…friends. He told me to search his house if he did not come into work the next day. And he did not. We found a note from the Reaper on his phone.”

Jesse swore and pushed his fingers into his hair. The Reaper had Jack? No. That was impossible. There was no way in Hell that Gabriel would have let anyone hurt Jack. He wouldn’t let anyone, not even the Reaper, get their mitts on Jack. He loved Jack, adored the man, and was fiercely protective of him. How could this have happened?

“Are, are you sure?” Jesse whispered. “There’s no way…. He’d never let anything bad happen to Jack!”

“Do you know where he would have went?” Sergeant Vaswani asked.

“He has a lot of property out of state,” Jesse admitted. “And I mean a lot. He could be anywhere.”

“Where do you think he would have gone?” Sergeant Vaswani asked.

Jesse pressed a hand against his eyes as he stared at his feet. Where would Gabriel go with Jack? He rubbed between his eyes, trying to think of where his father to go. He knew that Jack was a country boy, so maybe his father would want to go to one of the more remote locations. Somewhere where he and Jack could enjoy the quiet and relax without having any sort of interruption. He knew of one place relatively close by that would fit that description.

“He, he has a cottage out in Nevada,” he said. “Up in the mountains. He told me about it, how he bought it because he wanted a place to retire to.”

“Nevada,” Sergeant Vaswani repeated. He could faintly hear her typing something. “Do you know the general location that we can look in? Even if it is nothing, it’s a start.”

“In around the Death Valley National Park,” Jesse said. “Western portion near the border. I’ve never been there, sorry.”

“Even that is more help than you can realize,” Sergeant Vaswani said. “I promise, Jesse, that we’ll bring them back.”

“Thank you,” Jesse said before he hung up.

He set the plate down on the counter and turned to look at Hanzo. His fiancée reached out and squeezed his arm, stepping closer to rest his head against Jesse’s cheek. Jesse shifted and pulled his love close, hiding his face in his black hair.

“They’ll be okay,” Hanzo whispered. “They’re tough men.”

“Yah,” Jesse whispered as tears started falling down his face. “They are.”

But that wouldn’t save them from a gunshot wound. That wouldn’t save them from a knife. That wouldn’t save them from death and dismemberment and being stitched back together like Frankenstein’s creation. Being tough wouldn’t save them from the Reaper.

* * *

 

Jack ran his fingers through Gabriel’s hair as he slept. It was probably the first good night’s sleep the man had had since they left L.A. He wasn’t stupid; he knew that Gabriel was still dangerous, but knowing what he knew now…. It painted the Reaper in a much different light.

Gabriel might have styled himself as an artist and a vigilante, but Jack just saw a deluded man with good intentions but a terrible sense of retribution. He didn’t blame the man for doing what he had done, but at the same time, it didn’t make it right. People were killed that should have gone through the justice system. It wasn’t the place of the general public to take matters into their own hands. Mob mentality was not how to solve problems.

But maybe that was his small-town logic showing through. He’d never seen the same things that Gabriel had growing up in a big city. He’d never had gangs prowling the streets, people hiding guns under their shirts, just in case, and never knowing when you were going to find out a loved one was caught in a school shooting. It just didn’t happen where he was from.

He sighed as he played with Gabriel’s hair. Had he been serious? Had he been lying? The story was so elaborate and tragic that it could have been a fabrication, but he didn’t want to believe that. He didn’t want to believe that Gabriel would lie to him about something that horrific. He wanted to believe that Gabriel was a good man.

“I love you,” he whispered as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I love you so much.”

Gabriel let out a soft puff of air before he rolled over in his lap. He lifted himself up onto his elbows and pushed himself into Jack’s chest. Jack managed a smile as he held Gabriel’s head close and continued running his fingers through his hair.

“Sleep well?” Jack asked.

“Mmm,” Gabriel said before he pushed forward, gently pressing Jack down into the bed. “I’m glad you chose to forgive me.”

“For now,” Jack murmured as Gabriel started kissing his neck. “You…you still need to pay for what you did, Gabriel.”

“In time,” Gabriel shrugged. “I won’t live long enough to serve all of those life sentences.”

“And you think that pardons you?” Jack asked.

“A little,” Gabriel chuckled. “A few decades ago, I would have been paraded around as a hero. The Punisher would have been praised.”

“The Punisher is a comic book character hated by just about everyone because he’s a sociopath that thinks he’s justified in his mission,” Jack rolled his eyes. “Bad comparison.”

Gabriel shrugged again before he slowly kissed down Jack’s bare chest. Jack shivered, reaching up to run his fingers through Gabriel’s hair. Gabriel looked at him with soft eyes and smiled, slowly kissing further down Jack’s belly.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked.

“I’m thinking about it,” Jack sighed. “But…I also want you near me.”

“We don’t have to have sex,” Gabriel said. “I can just worship your body.”

“Worship usually leads to sex,” Jack pointed out.

“You can tell me to stop at any time, my love,” Gabriel soothed. “Just say the word and I will back off.”

Jack nodded and Gabriel returned to kissing down his body. He gently lifted Jack’s leg and started kissing over his thigh, sighing happily as he nuzzled the warm muscle. Teeth pressed softly against his flesh before Gabriel ran them down the inside of his thigh, glancing back up at him to see how he reacted. When he saw that Jack’s eyes were fluttering closed, he grinned and nipped at the flesh behind his knee. Jack let out a soft groan of approval, smiling as Gabriel nuzzled against his leg.

“Why do you love my legs so much?” he asked.

“Because they’re strong,” Gabriel chuckled. “Your runner’s body is amazing. I love it.”

“Compared to yours? Your thighs could crush people’s skulls,” Jack teased.

“A different sort of strength, my love,” Gabriel sighed happily. “One I love playing with.”

“You just like playing with me,” Jack stuck his tongue out at the other man.

“Only when you allow me to,” Gabriel purred. “You have me utterly enthralled, my beautiful god.”

“Enthralled?” Jack blushed and laughed. “Oh, hardly, Gabriel.”

“I am enthralled,” Gabriel sighed happily and kissed over his calves. “I can’t think of life without you.”

“You’re obsessed, there’s a difference,” Jack chuckled. “Mostly on the level of who’s at fault.”

“You never are, my love,” Gabriel chuckled before he kissed up his other leg and nuzzled between his thighs. “There is no better place to be than between warm thighs.”

“I’d call you a pervert if I didn’t love this sight so much,” Jack chuckled as he reached out to run his fingers through Gabriel’s hair. “Will you worship all of me?” he asked as he toyed with the band on his underwear.

“Yes,” Gabriel hissed as his pupils dilated greedily.

“Good,” Jack felt himself blushing as he pulled his underwear down, lifting his legs into the air so that he could kick them off with ease. He pulled Gabriel’s face into the apex of his legs and pressed his face against his sack. “Worship them.”

Jack moaned in pleasure, biting on his lip hungrily as Gabriel proceeded to kiss and nuzzle his sack. He laved over the delicate flesh, reaching up to massage his thighs as he worked. Jack started panting, feeling his cock harden against his stomach as Gabriel showered his sensitive anatomy with love.

“Yah,” he groaned. “Just like that. Show me what you love.”

“You,” Gabriel moaned. “All of you. All of this gorgeous, beautiful body.”

His teeth grazed over the bottom of Jack’s cock and Jack whimpered, reaching down to dig his fingers into Gabriel’s scalp. He pressed Gabriel’s face into the underside of his cock, biting his lip hard as Gabriel purred and started kissing along it. It felt amazing, drawing soft noises from him until Gabriel’s lips engulfed the head of his cock.

“Oh, Gabe,” Jack gasped and arched his back. “Yes! Please!”

* * *

 

Gabriel set supper on a tray and carried it upstairs. Jack was still lying exhausted on the bed, his eyes closed as he sprawled out. Completely exhausted from their lovemaking and he couldn’t help but feel proud of himself for making his love feel good. Gabriel smiled as he set supper down on the nightstand and crawled onto the bed.

“And how is my beautiful golden god feeling?” Gabriel asked as he ran his hands over Jack’s stomach.

“Thoroughly fucked out,” Jack groaned as he crawled into Gabriel’s lap and nuzzled his stomach. “Mmm, that smells good.”

“Salmon over biscuits,” Gabriel smirked as he picked up a plate. “Only the best for you, my love.”

“Salmon?” Jack demanded. “Gabriel! That is expensive!”

“Like I said; only the best for you,” Gabriel said. “Now come and eat.”

Jack whined as he sat up, but opened his mouth obediently. Gabriel lifted a small helping onto his fork and set it in Jack’s mouth. His love closed his mouth around the fork and drew back, chewing slowly on the offering. His eyes closed blissfully before he swallowed and opened his mouth for the next bite.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” Gabriel asked.

“You have,” Jack said. “Many times in the last hour.”

“When sex hasn’t been in the middle of us,” Gabriel teased.

“Many times before that,” Jack shrugged. “You say it often.”

“Because it’s true,” he sighed happily. “You are so beautiful and I adore you.”

Jack smiled at him and Gabriel melted a little inside. He kissed his love’s lips, tasting salmon on them. He was so pure and beautiful. He never wanted anyone to touch him ever again. He didn’t want to share this beautiful man. But he knew that he couldn’t hold onto him forever.

Even if Jack seemed to have forgiven him, he knew that Jack still wanted him to turn himself in. He wanted to make Jack happy, but he wanted to be there to enjoy it. He wanted to be the one to make Jack smile, to watch him laugh. He wanted to hold him at night and watch him fall asleep. He didn’t want to watch him from behind a glass wall and talk to him through a phone.

If he even got visitors.

He’d be in maximum security until he died. It made him want to kill something, to tear its throat out and devour everything under their flesh. It made him want to be a wild animal, to drag his mate out into the woods; deeper than they already were; and keep him from being touched again.

“What’s bothering you, Gabriel?” Jack asked as he cupped Gabriel’s cheek.

“I never want to be apart from you,” Gabriel murmured. “I love you too much.”

“Gabe,” Jack frowned.

Gabriel cupped Jack’s face in his hands and kissed him deeply. “A life without you in it would be horrible. I can’t bear the thought,” he said. “I want you with me forever.”

“Gabe,” Jack started to pull away.

“Please,” Gabriel pressed his forehead against Jack’s. “I love you.”

Jack pressed in close. “I love you too,” he whispered. “But I’m scared, Gabe.”

“Don’t be,” Gabriel soothed as he kissed his cheek. “I will keep you safe. From everything.”

Everything. Including himself if it came to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to fall into place for the LAPD. Satya's going to hunt the Reaper down if it's the last thing she does. Rescue's coming, Jack. Just hold on.


	17. Chapter 17

Gabriel could hear the trucks approaching. He should have known that this was too good to last. Jack was barely waking on the bed, thoroughly fucked out for the third time in four days. It’s really all they had been doing lately; sleeping, eating, and fucking. It was a little hard to keep up with his younger partner, but Gabriel was happy to watch Jack work himself to completion above him. But now the police were here to ruin it all.

“Mmm, Gabe?” Jack murmured as he lifted his head. “Is that…?”

“Stay here,” Gabriel said as he turned away from the window. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Gabe?” Jack asked but Gabriel was already heading downstairs.

He picked his shotguns off of the countertop and checked to make sure they were full. Satisfied that they were ready for action, he walked to the backdoor and headed outside. He skirted around the house, eyeing the two police SUVs that were parked behind his car. The officers looked nervous, talking into their comms as if they were expecting backup.

Gabriel wouldn’t allow them to bring them in. He wouldn’t allow them to ruin his happiness with Jack. Jack and he were happy out here; they didn’t need the police to fuck that up! They’d only ruin everything he had worked so hard to get right. He growled as he stepped out of the treeline and advanced towards the vehicles.

“Hands where I can see them!” one of the officers shouted.

Gabriel didn’t bother waiting, firing at the officers as he approached. They went down in blasts of red blood clouds, their cries turned into gargled wails. Others appeared out of the SUV, pointing their weapons at him and shouting for him to stand down. Gabriel snarled, firing on them in rapid succession before he ducked down behind one of the SUVs to reload.

“Halt! Don’t make us shoot!” one of the officers shouted. “Hand us Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes and we will take you alive.”

Gabriel let out a laugh as he rose. “I _am_ Gabriel Reyes!” he shouted. “And you aren’t taking Jack.”

“Gabe, stop!”

Gabriel froze as Jack came sprinting out of the cottage. He had managed to pull on a pair of jeans, but the rest of him was bare. Bare chested, bare foot; he was exposed! Vulnerable! Gabriel scrambled towards him, shouting at him to get back inside.

He could mentally see the bullets tearing him apart. Could see them destroying the person he loved most and reducing him to a pile of flesh on the ground. The police would kill him, would reduce him to a corpse. They always did. They were always too eager to pull the trigger. They weren’t angels like Jack was.

The police didn’t fire as he threw himself in front of Jack and blocked him from view. Jack grabbed his shirt, staring up at him with those soft, blue eyes. His fingers dug into the material of Gabriel’s shirt and gave him a sharp tug, pulling him in close so that their foreheads were almost touching.

“Gabriel, stop,” he repeated as he cupped Gabriel’s cheek. “It’s over.”

Gabriel stood there trembling as Jack rubbed his cheek. His thumb passed soothingly through Gabriel’s beard, calming the raging fury inside of him. Gabriel leaned forward and rested his head against Jack’s, closing his eyes as he dropped his shotguns to the ground.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he sank to his knees. “Oh, Jack, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Jack soothed as he hugged Gabriel’s head to his stomach.

Gabriel pressed his face into the soft, golden treasure trail just under Jack’s naval. His love’s fingers dug into his scalp, holding him still as he spoke with the officers. Gabriel did not resist as they locked his arms behind his back and slapped a pair of cuffs over them. He let himself be lifted to his feet and led over to the SUVs. He was locked in the back and stared out as Jack spoke with one of the officers, hugging her tightly when she threw her arms around his shoulders.

Bitterness settled in his belly and he looked away.

* * *

 

The doctor gave Jack a clean bill of health and a psychologist insisted that Jack come in for counselling to deal with his kidnapping. He didn’t argue, but he didn’t want to talk with anyone until after he found out what would happen to Gabriel. It was bad enough he was left to sleep fitfully all by himself inside of Gabriel’s house; he didn’t want to think of talking to anyone if Gabriel was going to get shipped out for the death penalty.

Satya spent a lot of time with him, trying to help him feel better. He knew that she was horrified that his lover was the Reaper and was trying to wrap her mind around it. He wanted Gabriel to be properly punished, but he didn’t like the thought of him going away for so long. Satya deserved justice for her sister, but if she knew what her sister was capable of, she might not have felt so vengeful. But, maybe she would still want his head for what he did. It was cruel and unusual punishment what he’d done to her sister and to all of his other victims. Justified or not, it was not Gabriel’s place to play judge, juror, and executioner.

“You need to eat,” Satya said as she set a plate of rice and fresh vegetables down in front of him.

“Thank you,” Jack said as he shook his head. “Gabriel is cooperating?”

“As much as can be expected,” Satya shook her head. “His lawyer is keeping us from interrogating him, but he keeps looking at me and I know he wants to say something.”

“Probably best you don’t try to interrogate him,” Jack shook his head as he spooned rice into his mouth. “If he recognizes you…I don’t want him to be cruel. He’s…bad for doing that.”

Satya nodded and sat down opposite him. She set her hands on her lap and sat up straight, blinking slowly at the table. He looked at her and sighed, rubbing his face.

“I didn’t know, Satya,” he murmured. “I didn’t know anything until that day in the precinct. I didn’t want to drag anyone into a situation when I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t going to put an innocent man behind bars or get one of my coworkers shot over a misunderstanding. And then everything happened so fast.”

“I know, Jack,” Satya smiled at him. “I trust you. I trust your judgement. None of us would have pegged someone like Gabriel as being capable of such violence. How could we expect you to see anything different? Especially when you knew him on such a personal level? Everything’s caught us all off guard; do you know how many people at the precinct knew Gabriel when he was raising his son? They were all sickened when we hauled him in with news that he was The Reaper. No one knew he was so…evil.”

He smiled sadly and nodded. He hadn’t known until it was too late what Gabriel had done to the streets of Los Angeles. If he had known that Gabriel would be that obsessive, he never would have started dating him. Maybe the Reaper never would have emerged or he might have focused on someone else, slipped up in a way that would have gotten him in jail sooner. But…but then he wouldn’t have known Gabriel, known how good his heart was and how much he cared about the important people in his life. He would take all the pain over not knowing him.

He sighed and rubbed at his face before spooning another mouthful of rice into his mouth. The doorbell rang and Satya went to answer it. He glanced over as she opened the door and he saw a familiar cowboy hat over her shoulder.

“Is Jack home?” Jesse’s voice waivered.

“He’s resting,” Satya said sternly. “Please, come back….”

“It’s okay, Satya,” Jack said as he got to his feet and hurried to the door. “He’s welcome.”

Satya moved out of the way and Jesse hurried inside. Jack hugged him close, hiding his face in Jesse’s shoulder. Jesse squeezed tightly before he moved back, holding Jack at arm’s length.

“Is it true?” he asked softly. “Did…did Papi really…?”

“Yes,” Jack said as he looked down at his feet. “Gabriel was the Reaper all along.”

Jesse closed his eyes and swore softly. Tears built up on his lashes and Jack gently wiped them away. He pressed his forehead against Jesse’s before hugging the younger man close. Jesse clung to him, whimpering as he shook his head in denial.

“Why?” he whispered. “I don’t understand! Papi never did…he wouldn’t….”

“Gabriel is not the innocent man we thought he was,” Jack said softly. “He is capable of great acts of cruelty. But…it wasn’t all for the sheer act of violence that he did what he did. Just…he plans on explaining everything at the trail.”

“It won’t save him; he killed people,” Jesse whispered.

“He knows that,” Jack shook his head. “He…just wants everyone to know why.”

“Arrogant bastard,” Jesse hissed.

“Maybe,” Jack smiled sadly. “But he’s ours.”

“You still love him?” Jesse asked.

“Yes,” Jack closed his eyes. “In spite of himself. In spite of everything he’s done. I still love him.”

“Same,” Jesse whispered. “Same.”

* * *

 

Gabriel shifted in his cuffs as Jack was led into the interrogation room. His lawyer had been infuriated with him over his request, but the precinct had chosen to allow the meeting. Jack had been kept far away from him the whole time he had been in custody; he didn’t care about their reasoning, he just knew it was for the best. He pushed a smile to his face as Jack sat down, another officer standing at the door and throwing daggers at him with his eyes.

“You look good,” Gabriel said. “I…Jack.”

“I know,” Jack smiled. “What did you want to talk about?”

Jack said he looked good, but Gabriel could see that he had been crying. His eyes were bloodshot and the flesh around his eyes were inflamed and puffy. He didn’t want Jack to cry over him. He didn’t want Jack to spill tears over someone that was going to get locked away forever. He wanted Jack to be happy, with or without him. That was what he wanted more than anything. So he had to let Jack know that he was free.

“Well, it’s more a request than anything,” Gabriel chuckled. “I expect that you’ll be as helpful to the prosecution as you can be. Don’t feel like you have to hold anything back, but I request that you don’t tell them the story I told you. I want to explain everything myself.”

“Are you sure?” Jack frowned. “If I withhold information….”

“You won’t be; simply tell them that I will explain everything,” Gabriel soothed. “The world deserves to know, don’t you think? And what better source is there than from the horse’s mouth?”

“Maybe,” Jack sighed. “Gabriel….”

“It’s okay, Jack,” Gabriel smiled. “Do what you have to. I won’t drag you down with me. You’re innocent of my crimes.”

“I still love you,” Jack whispered as he got to his feet.

“I will always love you,” Gabriel promised as he watched Jack walk away.

“This is going to stab you in the back,” his lawyer hissed as Jack left the interrogation room. “What were you thinking?”

“That my love did not deserve to feel guilty for doing what was right,” Gabriel said with a shrug. “He is more important. Jack and Jesse are more important. They are my reason for everything; how could I leave them hanging?”

His lawyer shook his head and grumbled about his stupidity, but Gabriel didn’t care. So long as Jack and Jesse were free from prosecution, he would suffer everything with a smile and a laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the fairytale comes to an end. There is no more hiding for Gabriel. It is time for him to pay for what he has done.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of child molestation.

Jesse and Jack sat side by side in the audience. Gabriel was wearing the standard jumpsuit orange, his head shaved completely bald to make him look more like the intimidating Reaper that everyone was expecting. Jack had heard rumors for months that they had caught the wrong man, that there was no way that someone as sweet as Gabriel could possibly be something as horrible as the Reaper.

But Jack knew better. He’d seen what Gabriel was capable of. The bodies buried under all of the property that Gabriel owned on the outskirts of the city showed that. They were even more brutally tortured than the victims that had been put on display. It brought his body count up to unprecedented numbers; he was an incredibly talented and prolific serial killer. He needed to be brought to justice; Jack just wished that he had been caught sooner, before he killed Ana Amari. Before Jack had fallen in love. Before Gabriel’s actions could affect Jesse for the rest of his life.

The judge walked into the room and took her place at the podium. She knocked her gavel against the podium and started reading the charges out.

“Gabriel Reyes, you are charged with innumerable counts of kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with intent to do harm, first-degree murder, manslaughter, and desecration of human remains. How do you plea?”

Gabriel rose to his feet, ignoring the hissing from his lawyer. “Guilty, your honour,” he said.

Gasps rang throughout the courtroom as everyone that had come to support him was shocked into silence. Gabriel turned his head slightly and regarded the terrified faces. He lifted an eyebrow before he looked back at the judge.

“I am guilty of all charges, your honour,” he said. “I am The Reaper. I have hunted the streets of Los Angeles and left altered human bodies for the police to find. I accept all responsibility and only ask that I be allowed to tell all those listening why I have done this. Perhaps it will help the victim’s loved ones find some closure.”

The judge looked at him for a long time before she motioned to the witness stand. “Allowed.”

Gabriel bowed his head before he walked towards the witness stand. His lawyer looked ready to murder him, clearly expecting to be able to argue for Gabriel’s innocence. Jack was proud of Gabriel for not trying to worm his way out of his punishment, but he seemed arrogant and proud of what he had done. It was so strange to see him like that, so self-assured in his righteousness, like no one would ever doubt him for doing what he had done. It wasn’t the Gabriel he was used to and it worried him; was this the real Gabriel?

Gabriel settled down in the witness stand and the mic was adjusted in front of him so that he didn’t have to yell. Gabriel looked his audience over before he looked straight ahead over all of their heads. Like a kid giving a speech in class; focus on something other than the audience.

“My first victim was my wife, Catherine Reyes,” he said. “We were married at twenty-two, both young and stupid, but happy. Our first house was purchased by my parents and presented to us as a wedding gift; it was more than we could have expected and a little out of our meager price range, but we made it a home. When we were twenty-five, we adopted a child from Santa Fe, determined to give him a happy life away from the monsters that plagued his family.

“Jesse was my pride and joy. He was scared of us at first; not surprising, all things considered. It took a while to earn his trust, but the first time he called me ‘Papi’, I knew I would do anything to keep him safe. I did everything to help him adjust to his new surroundings and he became my little man.

“I thought everything was fine; my family was happy, my job was taking off, and Jesse was excited for everything in life. It wasn’t until he was almost ten that I realized that the happy little life I thought I had was nothing but a veneer. A badly applied one at that.

“One night, I found Jesse’s door left open just a small fraction of an inch. He was crying in his room, whimpering softly. I went in to see what was wrong, but he just sobbed harder when I asked what was wrong. I managed to calm him down, thinking it was just a nightmare or a bully at school. But he said something that chilled my soul.

“‘Momma keeps making me sick’, he said. ‘She won’t stop touching me’.”

Silence fell in the courtroom and Gabriel took a breath. Jesse was shaking in his seat, but he lifted his jaw stubbornly, refusing to cry. Hanzo held onto his hand tightly, his eyes hard as Jack held Jesse’s other hand between his hands. They were there for him as the secret Gabriel and Jesse had kept from the world was told. He needed to be reassured that it wasn’t his fault. No matter what Gabriel said in his defence, Jesse was not the reason Gabriel started killing.

“I hoped that Jesse was just misremembering things. No one wants to think that their spouse is doing that to their children, but Jesse had never lied about something of that magnitude before. I had no reason to disbelieve him, but I wanted to be sure. So, I set up a camera and reassured Jesse that if anything happened that I would come running.

“I regret not hiding in the room the next night. What I saw through that camera still fills me with uncontrollable rage. Catherine crept into his room late at night and…. And she molested him. Jesse came to us as a four-year-old. Catherine had been molesting him for four years, almost nightly since he was six.

“My first thought was divorce to get Jesse away from her, but then I was terrified that he would be awarded to her simply because she was his mother. Then I was terrified that she would come after me for everything, leaving me with nothing to support my son if I’d managed to convince the courts to let me have sole custody. There were so many terrifying scenarios that I came up with that I resolved to do one thing. Kill her.

“And I did. I made her pay for four years of hurting my baby. After her, I got a taste for killing, but did my best to resist the desire. Until an older woman started hitting on my ten year old. And then again a few months later, someone else hit on Jesse. Again and again, elder women went after my son, each of them trying to seduce him while I was standing there watching, listening to them be disgusting wastes of flesh. Each one of them met their end at my hand and some of them were put on display for the world to see.

“Most of my victims had come after Jesse in some manner, but others I found in other ways. I took justice into my own hands and went after those that hunted on the weak and innocent, those unable to protect themselves. Rapists, human traffickers, abusers of all kinds; I made them pay for what they did. And I made sure the world never forgot them.

“Jesse came of age and left to pursue his dreams. I didn’t need to follow him; I knew he would be safe. He was a big boy now and had someone to watch his back. I wasn’t worried. So the Reaper went away, but the itch was always there. Always desiring to have another person under the blade to pay for what they had done in this world. And my answer came in the form of a beautiful cop that captured my heart and soul completely. I had someone else to protect and care for, but my obsession turned me from doing the best for society by removing undesirables to...to fulfilling my own twisted desires. I wanted to see flesh part and blood to flow out of wounds and to watch someone die; that’s what it turned into.

“That is why I admit to what I did. I cannot continue to walk the streets. I am a threat to everyone, including the ones I love. Especially the ones I love.”

Gabriel locked eyes with Jack and Jack closed his eyes. Tears gathered on his lashes, but he nodded sharply, approving of Gabriel’s decision. He wasn’t so far gone as to think that he could still safely walk the streets. He knew he was a threat. Good. Good.

“Gabriel Reyes, you are sentenced to three lifetime sentences of twenty-five years,” the judge said, “with no opportunity for parole. Case dismissed.”

The courtroom was silent as Gabriel got to his feet. No one cheered. No one booed. They just watched as Gabriel calmly followed the police out of the courtroom and to the truck waiting to take him back to prison. Jack swallowed heavily and tipped his head back, letting his tears fall down his face.

* * *

 

Gabriel sat down on his cot and glanced around at the bare walls. Solitary confinement; they always said it was worse than torture. He knew he’d go mad soon enough; maybe he’d be one of those people that the newspaper talked about killing the guards as they tried to escape.

He laughed at the idea, not caring if he did look mad. How arrogant he was to think that he could get out of here on his own. He was in solitary confinement for a reason. He would be kept under lock and key forever. No one would ever let him out.

He may as well get used to seeing white. White walls, white beds, white…well, everything. He sprawled out on the cot, staring up at the white ceiling. This was already torture and it had barely been a few minutes. Hell, his tortures were less cruel than this. At least his victims didn’t….

Wow, he really was fucked in the head. He laughed again, rolling onto his side and closing his eyes. Jack and Jesse were so much better off without him. They wouldn’t have someone ruining their lives from the shadows. They wouldn’t be forced to feel connected to someone like him. Yes, it was better this way; he was safely behind bars, Jack and Jesse were safe and capable of looking after themselves, and they had each other.

He let out a long sigh before he buried his face in the pillow. He knew he wouldn’t be here long; he’d get a knife in the gut from one of the prison guards within the month, he was sure. How many of them had been directly affected by his murders? They would take justice into their own hands, just like he did, and rid the world of one more monster.

He laughed as he fell asleep. Now, wasn’t that just poetic justice?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now the truth comes out. Does it justify Gabriel killing his wife? Maybe. Does it justify Gabriel becoming a serial killer? NO.


	19. Chapter 19

Jack pressed his palm against the glass and managed a sad smile. Gabriel’s eyes were hooded and heavy; the doctor had said he hadn’t been sleeping well; but there was still that indomitable light in them.

“You look bad,” he said over the phone.

“I feel worse,” Gabriel joked. “But I’m better now that I can look at you. Have you found anyone new?”

Jack shook his head. “No.”

“Waiting loyally for me or have I made you fear dating?” Gabriel teased.

“I could never love another the way that I love you, Gabriel,” Jack chuckled. “I’m…adjusting. Your last minute will changes…. Thank you.”

The lawyer had come and dumped everything onto his lap. He suddenly had _everything_ that Gabriel had owned. He’d sold a lot of the property and wasn’t surprised when a few were bulldozed to get rid of any memory of the Reaper. He’d kept the property out in Nevada, planning on using it as a summer home to just get away from it all. The additional money also helped him feel more secure.

“All for you and Jesse,” Gabriel smiled. “You two are all that I have left in this world and I want you to be looked after.”

He rested his hand against the glass opposite Jack’s and exhaled heavily. Jack knew it would be years before he was allowed to be in the same room as Gabriel when he came to visit. He would enjoy these moments for what they were; a chance to see the dangerous man that had stolen his heart. He couldn’t forgive him for what he’d done, but he still cared for him. It would probably kill him one day, but it would be worth it in his heart.

“I love you, Gabriel,” he said softly.

“I love you too, Jack,” Gabriel murmured as he leaned forward and smiled. “To the moon and back.”

Jack rested the bulky prison phone against his shoulder before he blew Gabriel a kiss. He could see the guards approaching to escort him back to his cell. It was best not to make them wait. Gabriel returned the gesture before they both hung up and rose. Jack squeezed his eyes shut to keep the tears at bay before he turned and followed another guard out of the meeting area.

Jesse was waiting to drive him back to Los Angeles, not quite ready to face his father. That was fine. Gabriel wasn’t going anywhere. They had time to make amends for what Gabriel had done to him. There was no rush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap. Gabriel is behind bars for the rest of his life. Jack and Jesse will work together to put their lives back on track. It's not a happy ending, but it is an ending. Thanks for coming along, everyone!


End file.
